The Open Line
by sariahsue
Summary: "Maybe, Cat Noir admitted as Oblivio knocked him back once again, maybe it was his fault. Just a little. But in his defense, Ladybug was at the top of her game today, and it was absolutely irresistible." An Oblivio alternate ending, where she never learns his identity but remembers what it was like to fall in love with him, and how she slowly falls in love with him all over again.
1. First Impressions

Chapter One – First Impressions

Maybe, Cat Noir admitted as Oblivio knocked him back once again, maybe it was his fault. Just a little. But in his defense, Ladybug was at the top of her game today, and it was absolutely irresistible. His focus and his eyes had been wandering her way all day. Which, of course, meant he wasn't paying enough attention to the akuma. Unfortunately for his partner, it meant couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut, either.

"Cat Noir, we need to retreat," she said as she narrowly dodged yet another ball of purple light and her timer beeped loudly. Only a minute left for each of them.

"A couple's retreat?" He glanced around as he leapt, trying to find a good hiding spot.

"Stop calling us a couple!"

Taking advantage of Cat Noir's momentary distraction, Oblivio lobbed a light straight for him. Ladybug yelled out a warning, and he twisted just in time to deflect, though the force of the blow dazed him, knocking him out of his flip and straight to the ground.

Ladybug must not have realized he was safe. He heard her call for him as he fell, felt the tug of her yo-yo as she flung him to the safety of an open elevator, watched helplessly as she was struck by Oblivio as the doors closed. She collapsed to the floor, unconscious, like the all others.

"No!" Cat Noir was too late to catch her before she fell. _This is bad, _he thought, as he hovered over her. _I can't do this without her! _But before his fear could swell to panic, her eyes flew open.

"Who are you?" Ladybug's arms flailed, pushing him away, like the stranger he now was to her.

"Cat Noir," he answered immediately, backing into the elevator's opposite corner. She obviously needed the space. "We're-"

"That's nice!" she squeaked. "Who am I?!"

"You're my-" He could say girlfriend, and she wouldn't know the difference. This was a fresh start, a second chance at a first impression. He should try to make the most of it. He would have, except their miraculouses started to beep.

"What's happening now?" she asked. "Why is our jewelry making noise?"

"Close your eyes!"

"What?"

"Just trust me." He followed his own direction, so he didn't see if she did as well. It didn't matter, he decided. If she found out who he was, that was fine. But she didn't want to know who he was, so he wouldn't peek. A quiet part of his conscience, almost drowned out by the rush of power as he detransformed, reminded him that she didn't want to love him either, so why was he planning on tricking her into it?

"How long do I need to keep my eyes closed?" civilian Ladybug whispered.

Would face look even brighter without the mask obscuring it? Adrien shut his eyes tighter to ward off the temptation. "Until we transf-"

"What's going on?" said a voice Adrien didn't recognize. It was high and sweet.

"Who's that?" not-Ladybug said. She shuffled closer, grabbing his foot and then pulling herself blindly forward until she found his arm and holding on tight.

"That's Tikki," Plagg said. "Some might say she's my sugar cube. My other half. My-"

"Uh... really?" Tikki asked timidly.

Adrien's stomach churned, imagining a greedy look on Plagg's face. New plan. He would NOT be lying to Ladybug today. He would have to find a different way to take advantage of his situation. Preferably one where she didn't hate him for it later.

"I'm pretty sure no one says that," Adrien cut in.

Plagg protested, but they had more important things to worry about at the moment. Footsteps echoed above them as Oblivio landed on the roof of the elevator.

Still sitting on the floor, Ladybug leaned into him. Oh, how he wished he could see her. "What is going on?"

"I'll explain as we go. Plagg, get the door."

Grumbling, the kwami did as he was told, while Adrien helped Ladybug to her feet. "We're going to have to move fast. Tikki, stay close." A bang shook the entire elevator, and Adrien had to squeeze his eyes shut even tighter. Oblivio had found them and was about to punch its way through the ceiling, from the sound of things.

"Without looking at each other? I'm not going to run into the hallway blind. I'll trip." Her voice started to tremble, but she held it firm. Memory or not, she was still his Lady.

The doors scraped open. "We just won't look at each other, okay?" he said, and he grabbed her hand, dashing away from the danger.

Tour Montparnasse was a monstrosity of a building, almost 60 floors, and it was completely deserted. With a little help from the kwamis, it took only a few minutes to lose Oblivio and feel completely alone. And Ladybug hadn't taken her hand out of his the whole time.

"Okay," he said. "Close your eyes again."

"Sure," she said.

"Making your girlfriend close her eyes so you can kiss her, huh?" Plagg said. "Smooth."

"No!" Adrien spluttered. "I was just going to explain and-" Though she couldn't see it, his face started heating up.

"Wait," Ladybug said. "Are we-"

"No." He rubbed his face over his hands, trying to keep in the "yes" he wanted to say. "We're superhero partners. You probably have some food for Tikki in your pocket or a purse, if you have one. She'll need it to transform you back." While she dug around, he found Plagg's emergency cheese.

"Cookies!" Tikki said.

"The words are 'spots on,'" Plagg said.

It was a relief when they were both transformed back. They'd be able to defend themselves, but Cat Noir was finally free to look around without jeopardizing her identity. He was able to look at her.

"So what's going on?" she asked. Unlike her usual self, she was timid and unsure, shoulders hunched forward. "We have to fight that thing, don't we?"

Heavy-handed flirting never really worked on her before. (He guessed there was no accounting for taste.) This was a fresh start, so he would try a different style. Do it right. "We always fight," he said. "But we always win."

She didn't look convinced. In fact, she shrunk back until she hit the wall, hands over her head to protect herself.

The only time he'd made her blush was when he'd given her that rose after the date-that-wasn't. Honest helpfulness, soft sweetness. That's what he would try here. It looked like that's what she needed the most anyway, reassurance, to know that she wasn't alone.

"Don't worry, Ladybug." He stepped forward until he was close enough to lay a gentle hand on her shoulder, light enough that she didn't flinch away. "I've seen you win over and over again. We'll figure it out. And in the meantime, I won't let anything hurt you. Cat's honor." He bowed.

Ladybug giggled.

Cat Noir's head snapped back up in surprise. A blush crept up around the edges of her mask, soft and delicate like her laugh.

"O-okay. Let's tho gen. I mean, g-go then."

She turned and sprinted for the stairwell door, checking back over her shoulder before ducking her head in embarrassment and disappearing with a click of the door's handle.

"Wow," Cat Noir whispered. His flirts had never gotten anything more sincere than a smirk out of her, so he hadn't expected that to actually work.

_Thank you, Oblivio! _

_..._

_Author's note: Hello! This is being written for Ladynoir July, though I'm using last year's prompts, and I have zero intention of finishing in July. Oh well._

_I am going to try to get these out more quickly than usual, so forgive me if the chapters aren't as polished as they normally would be._

_I hope you like this story! I've been excited about writing it for MONTHS now!_


	2. Akuma

Chapter Two – Akuma

Ladybug didn't even know her own real name, but she did know a few things:

1) Having super powers was great.

2) Being a superhero with no memory while a monster was chasing you was terrifying.

3) This Cat Noir guy was a total sweetheart. (And quite good-looking.)

Try as she might to not trip over her own clumisness, or figure out her powers, or not stutter over her words, she perpetually failed. And what did he do every time? Smiled kindly and told her to try again. Even though they were running for their lives from a giant monster, not once did he lose his patience or make her feel like a burden.

"We aren't getting anywhere just running away," she said, stopping at the end of what felt like the 500th hallway they'd run through.

"Got any other ideas in that wonderful brain of yours?" he asked. Even though she had no clue what she should be doing, and she was sure he was fully capable of comping up with a plan himself, he valued her input. She tried not to blush at the praise. (Judging by the smile creeping across his face, she was not successful.)

"I... I think I do," she finally said, pretending to study the skyline through a window that stretched from floor to ceiling and not her partner out of the corner of her eye. She could tell anyone who asked that Cat Noir's eyes were green, that the tip of his mask went juuuuust past the tip of his nose, and that a tiny crease appeared between his eyebrows when he was concerned. The weather outside the window she'd been staring at for thirty seconds? No clue.

Misinterpreting her silence as self-doubt, Cat Noir threw an arm around her and squeezed her shoulders comfortingly. She didn't correct his mistake.

"I'm sure it's a great idea," he said. "So let's hear it!"

Still not looking at him directly, Ladybug mumbled something about luring Oblivio out. "We know it's after us, so... I think it's time to set a trap? There's lots of smaller rooms that would work." Only when she finished did she realize that it had been quiet on their floor for too long. The monster was no longer following them. It had probably left the building to terrorize some innocents already. Her idea wouldn't work. And Cat Noir had been silent too, probably trying to figure out how to nicely tell her that her idea was stupid.

"We get to pick the playing field and set the rules," he said, one clawed finger tapping his chin. "I like it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I knew you'd think of something! Just tell me what you want me to do. I'll help however I can."

Ladybug stood there like an idiot as she listened to her heart thumping. How was he having this much of an effect on her? Technically, she barely knew him.

"LB?" The crease appeared between his eyebrows.

"Right!" she squeaked. "F-first, we should find a good spot. Right. Yeah."

"A good... _spot_?" [italics] He lightly touched the middle of her mask, right over her middle ladybug dot. It was one of the worst jokes she'd ever heard (she didn't even need her memory to know that), but she almost giggled anyway. Honestly, how smitten was she?

Determined not to think about feelings she may or may not have for her partner, Ladybug turned and was about to dash down the hallway to start looking, but Cat Noir stopped her with two words.

"Oh, no."

"What?" Ladybug twisted back to him so quickly she almost lost her balance. She caught herself on the window, then leaned close against it for a better look at what Cat Noir had seen.

"So that's why it's been so quiet," she whispered. Oblivio had made its way back to the roof. A gigantic, pulsing ball of purple and black light hovered above the building, the edges just visible in the tall window. A threat. No, an ultimatum.

"Well," Cat Noir said cheerfully. "Now you can prove to Hawk Moth that you don't even need your memory to be amazing, huh?" He bumped her shoulder, trying to get her attention, but she couldn't look away from the light.

"My Lady?"

She shook her head slightly, continuing to stare.

Sensing her fear, he took a step closer. "We can do this," he said.

"We couldn't do it the first time. I had my memory-" and her knowledge of how to use her powers, her skills, her confidence- "and I was still hit. We failed."

"Hey." His hand gripped hers and gently led her away from the window, breaking her horrified gaze. "We haven't failed yet. Oblivio hasn't hurt anyone or taken our miraculouses. There's no reason we can't still win." He put both hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look him full in the face while he spoke earnestly. Something about it seemed familiar. "If you can't trust yourself yet, please trust me. I've seen you beat odds way worse than this, even on our first day. _You [italics]_ can do this, okay?"

Ladybug took a deep breath, letting his reassurances and the warmth of his hands seep into her.

"Okay."

* * *

_Author's note: And so, after Ladynoir July ends, we finally get chapter two. I had valid excuses, though. The rest of the ride should be smoother, update-wise._


	3. CataclysmLucky Charm

"What am I supposed to do with this?!" Ladybug held up a polka dotted teapot. "I thought you said it was going to help us!"

"It will," Cat Noir said, shrugging his shoulders. "But you have to figure out what to do with it."

Ladybug rested her head against the cool clay of the pot. This was bad. This was bad bad bad. She thought it was going to be a weapon, not a puzzle piece! Oblivio was on the other side of those double doors, waiting for them, and she was supposed to do what? Serve it tea and crumpets?

"You'll figure it out," he said, his gentle voice pulling at her attention, "and I'll protect you until you do, Bugaboo!" He pointed to his chest when he saw she was looking at him, then winked.

Ladybug couldn't hide the blush that blazed across her face, and Cat Noir didn't even try to hide his confusion. He cocked his head like a puppy, then quickly spun away.

_Why? Why would he be confused that I blushed at his silly flirt?_ Ladybug wondered. _Unless... unless, before I lost my memory, he didn't know that I loved him?_

Before she could figure out what to do with that theory, he pushed open the double doors that opened onto the tower's observation deck. Purple and black light made the whole roof glow eerily. Ladybug dove for cover while Cat Noir surged forward to attack Oblivio and draw its attention away. She needed time to think, but it was difficult when the object of her massive crush was fighting for his memories. Her earrings started beeping at her.

Cat Noir yelped, losing his balance as he dodged a barrage of Oblivio's attacks. He tumbled to the ground, and his baton clattered to the ground several feet away. Oblivio aimed.

Useless Lucky Charm or no, Ladybug couldn't stand there and do nothing. He'd told her to trust herself, so she followed her instincts and sent her yoyo flying. To her surprise, it went exactly where she sent it, wrapping three times around the odd gun on Oblivio's wrist. She pulled hard, dragging its aim away from Cat Noir.

Almost without effort, Oblivio jerked the line and sent Ladybug flying into the glass safety panels that enclosed the entire roof. Glass cracked and shook where she hit. The teapot rolled, and Oblivio kicked it away as it ran over to where she'd fallen. She groaned, unsure if all of the cracking had been the glass or if any of it had been her bones.

"Oh dear," Oblivio said, stretching up and pulling on the top of the panel. "A bug trapped under glass."

"No!" Cat Noir yelled, running to her rescue but too far behind Oblivio to help.

Ladybug tried to roll away, but she only managed to get herself onto her back before the panel flattened her. It was thick and heavy. Oblivio climbed on top of her and laughed, its dark outline glowing sharply, beating away Cat Noir's attacks with ease.

It was becoming difficult to breathe. The combined weight of Oblivio and the glass was crushing the air out of her. She twisted, hoping to find some way to free herself, but all she saw was the teapot laying on its side, much too far to reach. Her earrings beeped again.

Through the spiderweb cracks in the glass, she could see Cat Noir fighting for her, his image distorted by the glass and his own desperation. He swung and jabbed, circling around from all angles, but he looked unwilling to get closer. Climbing onto the panel would have only added his weight to Ladybug's suffering.

Oblivio shifted, and the glass panel tilted, easing the pressure off her torso and rolling it toward her legs. Gasping for breath, Ladybug suddenly had enough room to move her arms, and she tried to push herself free, but it was no use. She was as trapped as Oblivio had said. She turned to look at her partner, her only hope to escape before her timer ran out.

"All right. That's it!" Cat Noir shouted, ducking low to avoid another attack. "Cataclysm!"

The glass pinning Ladybug in place shattered. Above her, Oblivio lost its balance on its crumbling footing, but before it could collapse on top of her, Cat Noir dove toward her, rolling them both out of the way, protecting her from the ricocheting shards of glass with his own body.

_Is this the man of my dreams?_ she thought as he climbed off of her and crouched defensively in front of her. _Because I think he might be. _

Oblivio took aim at them once again. There was something about its hands... they were so different from the rest of its body. The butterfly thing must be in the wrist blaster. All she had to do was break it and this would be over?

"Could you make it forget about me for a little while?" Ladybug said, getting a sudden idea. The pot was only a few feet away. If she could just get behind the akuma-

"I'm on it."

She scrambled away on hands and knees and slid along the walls, making sure to stay out of Oblivio's line of sight. Cat Noir was something else, that was for sure. She'd never seen anyone move with such grace or be so calm under pressure. Well, she thought she hadn't. She'd remember soon enough.

Oblivio braced itself for one final shot, legs spread wide for balance, and Ladybug saw her opening. She ran, sliding underneath the akuma, then jammed the teapot onto its hand.

"Cat Noir!" Ladybug said, getting to her feet while Oblivio tried in vain to wipe her memory, "use your power to break that... thingy!"

"Can't!" he said, running toward her, holding his baton like a baseball bat. "One-time use!" A loud crack split the air as the baton came down on Oblivio's wrist. The pieces fell, revealing a black butterfly.

Just like he'd coached her, Ladybug grabbed the little bug in her yoyo and let it go, relieved to see it was pure white.

"Aw, you didn't say it!" Cat Noir watched the butterfly flutter off into the distance. Even frowning, he was still handsome. It was completely unfair that he was this kind and brave and beautiful all at the same time.

"What?" she asked. "Did I do it wrong? Is it going to-"

"No, no, you're fine. I'm just weird and like our traditions. Speaking of which..." He held up a fist, and Ladybug became acquainted with a new butterfly, the one that was fluttering in her stomach. She gently bumped his offered fist, allowing herself to briefly get lost in his warm gaze.

"That was amazing," he said, letting his fingers linger against hers. "You handled everything ex-_purr_-tly."

Ladybug sighed. Not even Cat Noir could be perfect, though she thought he must be close.

Beside them, Oblivio split into two people. One, a girl, immediately pulled out a phone and aimed it at the heroes. The other, a boy, picked the Lucky Charm off the ground and brought it over, smiling sheepishly.

That was one danger gone. The orb above her still throbbed with eerie light. "What's going to happen now?" Ladybug asked.

"Just say the magic words, and your cure will fix everything the akuma ruined. Your memory should be perfect!"

"It'll be nice to have your competent partner back, huh?" she joked.

"Aw, My Lady, you were always right here!"

Ladybug was going to love him forever, she was absolutely certain. No matter what happened, or what she remembered. Truth be told, she expected she was going to remember a whole lot of daydreams and happy memories of this sweet boy. She couldn't wait to treasure every single one of them.

"Okay then. Miraculous Ladybug!" The teapot melted as she threw it, dissolving into thousands of ladybugs that whipped around the orb, flooded over the sides of the building, and swirled around her, blocking her last view of the Cat Noir she didn't remember.

The boy and girl, that was Nino and Alya! And Marinette was her name! It was a relief to know who she was. The ladybugs vanished as quickly as they had appeared, leaving her staring at Cat Noir, the boy she lov-

Ladybug's hand flew to her mouth. A little gasp escaped anyway.

_Author's note: Imagine that butterfly/pigeon meme. Now imagine Cat Noir is the butterfly, Ladybug is the person, and she's asking "Is this the man of my dreams?" Because that's what I thought of when I wrote that line._

_These kids are always so fun to write. She's always jumping to the wrong conclusions, and he just has no idea how to deal with girls. XD_


	4. PunsClumsiness

Chapter Four – Puns/Clumsiness

Ladybug's memories sparked back to life. First a few, then by the dozens, until it seemed like every thought she'd ever had was assaulting her at once, demanding her attention. But there was only one thing she was capable of focusing on.

She was in love with Cat Noir. It had taken mere minutes to fall for him. Faster, even, than she'd fallen for Adrien, who at the moment still felt like a distant memory.

It- it wasn't possible! She wasn't- didn't- they were friends! It was temporary insanity. She hadn't been herself and couldn't be held accountable. They were professional partners and nothing more.

So why were her eyes following him as he walked Alya and Nino to the doors? Why did butterflies swoop through her middle when he scampered back to her? Why couldn't she answer him when he asked if she was okay?

Through the whole fight with Oblivio, he'd been so sweet to her, supportive, never taking advantage. Of course he had been. This was her Chaton. He was always there for her. Always- always flirting. And kissing her hand. And confessing his love for her.

He'd stopped talking in favor of staring at her in confused concern, so she was sure she was too late to hide it, but she clapped her hands to her face to hide her blush anyway.

"Yes, I'm fine, thanks!" she squeaked.

He cocked his head. "What? I said we should probably get going."

"Oh." The heat in her face was so fierce she could feel it pulsing through her gloves. She knew she needed to say something else to stop the horrible awkwardness she was creating, but no other words came to her rescue.

"Ladybug?" He reached down and closed a hand around hers, comforting her again. "_Tail_ me what's wrong?"

Bad humor would not fix this situation. Biting back a hysterical giggle anyway, Ladybug bolted for the doors that led to the building's stop floor. "Nothing!" she shouted over her shoulder, nearly tripping as she turned to take one last look at him. "Earrings! See you later!" And she plunged into the building and out of sight.

What was wrong? She couldn't tell him that for a minute there, she thought she was in love with him. _But I'm not. Not at all!_ She couldn't tell him how easily he'd beaten the artificial defenses she'd never realized she'd put up, to keep them in their platonic boxes. Or how she was afraid their partnership would never go back to the way they had been before.

Opting for the stairs to burn off her mounting panic, she made it ten stories down before her transformation gave out. Alone except for Tikki, Marinette slid down the wall of the stairwell, face in her hands. The echoes of her footsteps quickly faded to silence.

She couldn't tell Cat Noir that she hadn't wanted to leave him. Her bare fingers tingled where he had touched her, and was her heart beating too fast? She told herself it was just from her hasty escape. But she knew the real reason.

Him.

* * *

_Author's note: For the first time in living memory, I wrote something that actually turned out SHORTER than I expected instead of much longer. Sorry?_

_Cat Noir's point of view next time! Who wants to see what *he* makes out of all of this? :D :D :D_


	5. Bell

Chapter Five – Bell

It had been two days and six hours since Cat Noir had left his class field trip and transformed to fight Oblivio.

Two days, five hours, and forty minutes since Ladybug had fallen in love with Cat Noir (he thought and earnestly hoped).

Two days, five hours, and twenty minutes since she had run away from him, claiming everything was fine.

He'd listened as she flew down the stairs, and though he waited and didn't follow, he was desperate to finally know who she was.

Ladybug hadn't shown up to patrol that night or the next, instead leaving a note for him at their normal spot at the top of the Eiffel Tower. With no akumas in the past two days, Cat Noir was going crazy with missing her. What did it mean? Was she mad at him? Was she lovesick? Or had he read the whole situation wrong, and she still didn't feel anything for him other than friendship?

"So, Plagg," Cat Noir said. Being transformed was his favorite time to have deep conversations with his kwami, because it was the one time he couldn't talk back. Cat Noir paced the roof of the Notre Dame, strutting from one bell tower to the other. "What do you think? Does she love me, finally? Should I try flirting some more? Or is she upset with me and I should just give her some space?"

One of the disadvantages to conversations in the suit was that Plagg couldn't talk back, though this time, Cat Noir already knew what he would say: the same thing that he'd been saying for two days. "Stop whining to me about it and go ASK HER."

There was no way that was going to happen. What would he say? "Hey, LB, have you developed an all-consuming love for me recently?" Yeah, no thanks. She'd deny it, and that would hurt, whether it was true or not. More likely, she would just sidestep the question to avoid talking about it. She had never been comfortable with sharing personal details like that.

He sighed and sat on the edge of the walkway, feet dangling over the stone railing. It was unusually warm for early October, though he knew it wouldn't last much longer. It seemed like winter in Paris was always trying to sneak up on him.

He was early for patrol, as usual. There hadn't been a note this time, but he wasn't holding out much hope of seeing her tonight, so he told himself it was a worry for another time and he should focus on helping the city instead of wooing Ladybug, though perhaps he should try being sincere and supportive to her again, since that seemed to work out really well while fighting Oblivio. And what was he supposed to be thinking about? Oh, yeah. Patrol. Not his Lady.

The quiet zip of a yoyo line and a soft thud were enough to send Cat Noir leaping to his feet in excitement. "You're here!"

"I'm here," she said, beaming at him. "Thanks for covering for me, Kitty. I had some, uh, personal things going on."

She seemed so happy, so relaxed, so... normal. Nothing had changed. That was his answer right there. Absolutely nothing had changed between them.

"So, how've you been?" she asked, taking the spot he'd just vacated. "I heard about the robbery on Rue Soufflot that you stopped. Sounded exciting."

"Oh," he said. He could sit down next to her, but his legs didn't want to move. For a few wonderful days, he'd thought he had a chance with her. He hadn't even been close to winning her over, had he?

"Cat?"

"The robbery, yeah. It was fine."

"Four on one, and it was just 'fine'? You aren't going to regale me with your feats of unparalleled courage?"

"I could..." But what difference would it make? He stood there, feeling small with her eyes on him and the two bell towers dwarfing him, unsure of what to do next. He'd missed her so much for the past two days, but now he kind of wished she'd stayed home.

"Are you okay?" She picked herself up off the banister and stopped right in front of him, so he was forced to look at her.

"Fine," he said, injecting some of the life he didn't feel into his voice. "Just lost in thought."

"Oh really?" Ladybug folded her arms, unimpressed. "About what? Do I even dare to ask?"

"Just which details of my harrowing ordeal would impress you the most. It was quite all heroic of me."

"Quite." Though she usually would have rolled her eyes, maybe or giggled and slapped his arm if he was lucky, this time she leaned forward and squinted. She was getting to know him too well.

"I really am fine," he said.

"I thought you said you weren't going to lie to me." Yes, she knew him much too well, and he loved it.

Cat Noir raised his hands in surrender. "It's not anything you need to worry about."

"Maybe I don't need to," she said, "but maybe I _want_ to."

His heart restarted at the concern in her voice. "I'm fine, really," he said, twirling his baton. "Should we get going?"

She hesitated. "Sure. But you'll tell me if something's bothering you?" When he didn't answer, she continued, "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

He looked away and nodded, not sure how much more of her attention he could stand. Was she just being friendly? Why was she taking this much interest in him if she didn't feel anything for him?

"I'll be sure to _wring_-" She flicked his bell to hear it ring, her fingers accidentally brushing the exposed skin at his throat. "-the information out of you if I think it'll make you feel better."

He gulped. "I might like that."

"You might. Shall we?" She zipped off to start their route, Cat Noir shadowing close behind.

By the end of the night, Cat Noir was much more confused, but getting better at hiding it. Ladybug had never joked around with him so much. Had she simply missed him for the past two days? Or was she trying to hint that she now had a crush on him? In the hour-long patrol, she made four puns, countless jokes, and started two games of tag. (She declared herself the winner both times.) Cat Noir smiled and joked back, letting her lead, carefully masking his feelings. What did it all mean?

"I had fun tonight," she announced. They were perched atop the Tour Montparnasse. He wasn't sure which of them had decided that was a good location to stop. It just seemed like the natural place to be. The place where his confusion had started.

"Same time tomorrow?" he asked, already turning away. He didn't want to see the... what? The love on her face? The platonic fondness? He wasn't even sure what he expected, but he was sure he couldn't withstand either.

"Hey," she yanked on his bell to get his attention. "What is the matter? You've been too quiet all night."

He pulled away, eager to escape, but she didn't give.

His zipper did.

Cool night air hit his chest as the bell went down his neck, past his collarbone, stopping somewhere around his sternum, where Ladybug finally gasped and let go. She was openly staring at him, face red. He thought it best to leave the zipper where it was for the moment.

"Nope! Nope! Nope!" Ladybug yelled, jumping backward, her gaze roaming all over him. "I'm not doing _this_ again."

"Doing what again?"

"I finally stopped thinking- UGH!" She covered and uncovered her eyes and threw her yoyo all in a split second. "I have to go." And she went, leaving an even more confused partner behind.

"Stopped thinking what?" he asked the empty air. The obvious answer, that she had been thinking about him seemed too good to possibly be true. Whatever she meant, one thing was certain. She'd gotten flustered about him again. This was a promising development.

He left the bell where it was for the rest of the night.

* * *

_Author's note: I'm going to go on record as saying that you're getting another chapter tomorrow night and ANOTHER on Saturday night. Hold me to it!_


	6. Secrets

Chapter Six – Secrets

Marinette fingered the corner of the poster Alya had given her to "encourage her new crush." Alya was completely wrong, of course. All through the school day Marinette had been blushing every time someone mentioned Cat Noir, true, but it was from the embarrassment of last night's "bell incident" and nothing more. It definitely had nothing to do with the two-day break from him she'd had to take to rid herself of the perplexing emotions that Oblivio had caused. Definitely not.

"So are you putting it up or not?" Tikki asked. "You're going to be late to patrol if you keep standing there."

"It's okay for me to have his picture up, right?" Marinette asked. "I can support my partner. I don't have a crush on him." She reached for the tape and started sticking it to the corners. "I'm supporting my friend." Marinette pushed the corners against the wall, making sure they were stuck fast.

Tikki waited until the poster was secure and then said, "It's not healthy to deny your feelings like that."

"I'm not!" Marinette flailed her arms around in an attempt to be taken seriously. "We're just friends."

"Okay. If you're sure."

Marinette transformed before Tikki could say anything else crazy, and Ladybug was soaring to Parc de Bercy before she knew it. Tonight, they would be patrolling the 12th Arrondissement.

Cat Noir was much the same as he had been the night before, quiet and distant, though this time, she caught him staring at her intently when he thought she wasn't looking. She was rattled to realize that she liked the attention.

The longer the night wore on, the more she suspected that there was more going on than just silence. Something was definitely _wrong_.

The ending of patrol was a drawn-out process. Back at the park, they shuffled their feet and said goodnight several times before Ladybug simply sat down on a bench and patted the space next to her. It was late, and they both should have been going to bed, but it was a nice night, and even though she definitely DID NOT have feelings for her partner, he was good company, and she enjoyed spending time with him. Besides, he still looked like he could do with some more attention. She might be able to help him feel better. A few extra minutes couldn't hurt, right?

"So, you ready to talk about it?"

"What?"

"Whatever is wrong?"

"Nothing," he said. He had left a small gap between them when he'd sat down. The air between them felt colder than the air everywhere else, and she didn't like. She scooted a little closer, careful not to touch him, since she wasn't sure how he would react.

Their bench overlooked a large lake, which reflected moonlight. A light breeze made ripples on the surface dance. After the gates were locked was her favorite time to visit the city parks, when they became one of the few places she could be truly alone with her partner. It was peaceful.

"Sometimes, I don't like being civilian me," she whispered. Maybe, if she started sharing secrets, he'd do the same. He needed to talk to someone. "Sure, the stakes are higher, but I can just erase all my mistakes at the end. Plus, I get this partner to help me out." She bumped his shoulder lightly. "He's kind of great."

"I like to watch anime."

"Come on, I told you a secret. That's not a secret."

"It's a personal detail that you didn't know before. It counts."

"Really? I didn't hear you quoting _Steins;gate_ two weeks ago?" He hadn't explained the reference to her, and she'd had to use her yoyo to Google how a microwave started World War Three. "I know what crazy shows you watch."

"Fine. I-"

For a few seconds, she thought he was going to say it.

"I'd wanted to learn embroidery when I was little. I thought it looked cool, and thought maybe it was fancy enough that my father would let me try it, so I asked for lessons. I was told it wasn't practical, so the answer was no. I tried to teach myself from the internet anyway. Turns out I'm terrible at it, so I quit. I never told anyone else that. Does it count?"

"I'll allow it." They had a common interest? Really?! She tried to squelch the excitement by reminding herself that he had told her a secret, but not what was wrong. She'd have to try a more direct approach. "So this thing that's bothering you, it's a person, isn't it?"

"I- My..." He turned away quickly. She hoped he wasn't going to say her. Three days ago, she'd run out on him, then abandoned him during patrols without warning, and couldn't get a word out of him since. It would make sense that she was the cause, and she hated to admit it.

"My... father," he finally said, and Ladybug sighed with relief.

"What about him?"

"He's very... distant. We don't understand each other very well."

He shifted, bringing his arm up, and for a moment, she thought he was going to put it around her, or maybe run his fingers through her hair, but he only scratched the back of his neck and let his hand fall again. Ladybug told herself that she wasn't disappointed. She hadn't wanted him to hold her. She only wanted to be near him because she cared about him. That was an objective fact. And sharing personal details was making her feel closer to him. That was all. It didn't mean anything else.

"Have you talked to him about it?" she asked. _Focus on the task at hand, Marinette. He needs your attention right now. _

"Tried to."

"What about other people?"

Cat Noir shrugged.

"No one? You can't expect things to change if you don't ask someone for help."

"You don't get it," he said. "And it's not like I can tell you more about it. Identities."

"Yeah," she said. "I know." There were some secrets they would have to keep, though she'd never hated it more than she did right then.

* * *

_Author's note: If I ever do one of these prompt month things again, I'll take a leaf out of thenovelartist's book and combine multiple days into larger chapters. Pacing it myself, I probably would have written days one through four as one and days six through eight as another. Day five is the only one that makes sense to me as its own thing. Oh, well._


	7. Partners

Chapter Seven – Partners

It wasn't really lying, was it? His father was a regular source of pain for him, and he didn't want to tell her the reason he had been so quiet wasn't because he was upset but because he was trying to discover her true feelings about him. (She might stop sharing all these personal details, and he didn't want that!) So he'd given her a half-truth, and she trusted that he was being honest.

"I'm sorry," she said. "If it was safe enough..."

"Yeah, I know. We can't share identities now." Maybe not ever, his insecurities whispered, but personal needs had to come second to the needs of the city. He knew that. It still didn't stop the sting.

"We're partners," she said.

He glanced over at her, but she didn't meet his gaze, instead staring straight ahead, determined.

"I promise," she went on, "that I'll help you as much as I can from this side of the mask. I want to be-" Her hands clenched on top of her knees. "I don't know how much help I'll be, but we're partners, and that's what partners do."

"Thank you," he whispered. "I want to be that for you, too."

Their conversation drifted to easier topics after that. Ladybug made fun of his television choices some more. Cat Noir made a few bad puns and was generally more upbeat. She was the cause of so much confusion and heartache the last few days, but tonight she was a source of great comfort. She shared information, she shared her time. It made him feel worthwhile and wanted. And if he fell a little more in love with her? Well, that was inevitable anyway.

He wondered if he was still reading too much into her words. (The number of times she claimed they were just partners seemed to indicate that he was.) But he had the heart of a romantic and he couldn't stop himself from hoping that she meant more by it. And even if she didn't, they were partners, and that was enough for tonight.

* * *

_Author's note: Like I said, I would have put this chapter together with the two before and the one after if I weren't breaking it up by prompt. Sorry that it's short! You'll be getting the final piece of this "chapter" next week. (And it's going to be sappy. Fair warning!) Also, fun little fact, I finished my detailed outline of this thing today. In total, it's 8,400 words. The OUTLINE is 8,400 words. That's insane._


	8. Hand Kiss

Chapter Eight – Hand Kiss

A chill autumn wind blew lazily through the park, rustling the leaves, rippling the water, which splashed in its fountain. An owl hooted somewhere behind the bench where two teenage superheroes sat. Both jumped at the noise, the spell of their conversation broken. How long had they been sitting out there? Cat Noir yawned widely, and Ladybug watched with interest as his nose scrunched. Had he always been this adorable? Was she only noticing this now?

"So what time is it?" he asked.

"Uh..." Ladybug quickly fumbled for her yoyo and flipped it open, then blinked at the blinding 1:45. "You have to get up early for school tomorrow, right?" _How _had they stayed out here that long? They'd never done that before.

"Yeah."

"Then you probably don't want to know."

"Fair enough." Cat Noir stood up and stretched, his tail swinging lazily through the air, the muscles of his back taut. He stopped abruptly, sensing her eyes on him and whirled around. "Like what you see?"

"Yes," she said, standing up.

Cat Noir choked.

"You happy again."

Color rose in his face as he looked down at his claws. "I'll take it," he mumbled.

He was quiet for several seconds, until she thought maybe she'd said something wrong, but just as she was about to apologize, his head snapped up.

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you for staying out her with me for so long. I don't know if you meant to do that." The words tumbled out of him, getting faster and faster. "And thank you for cheering me up, and even wanting to cheer me up. I appreciated it. You're amazing. I really love spending time with you."

Ladybug could feel heat rising from her heart and into her face. By the time he'd finished, a full blush had blossomed. Why?! He'd said things like this before. Why was he making her blush?

In the darkness, she was hoping he wouldn't notice. She thought about turning away, leaving quickly, hiding her face, but his eyes were so bright in the moonlight that they almost glowed, and she couldn't look away. And when a smile started to creep across his face, she knew she'd been caught.

"You're really pretty, too."

"Wow, shallow," she said, taking a step back. "And I was beginning to think you liked me for my personality." This time, she did turn away to hide her flaring blush. _Play it cool, _she told herself as she hopped onto the short rock ledge around the fountain. _He's just being his normal flirty self. There's no reason to go to pieces._

Except she was.

"Let me rephrase," he said, walking on the ground beside her. "Your smile is almost as sparkling as your wit. Your eyes are the most beautiful I have ever seen, but they pale in comparison to your kind soul."

"Do you practice these beforehand, or do you come up with them spur of the moment?"

"Oh, I come up with them on the _spot_." He poked a black dot on her side, exactly where he knew she was ticklish. She shrieked and almost lost her balance, but as she pinwheeled toward the water, Cat Noir caught her hand and drew her back to safety. Her heart thumped wildly as she stammered a thank you.

This was terrible. Why couldn't she act normally around him? It must be because of how late it was, she decided. She was probably overtired. Even with that new reasoning, she still felt no desire to go home.

"Have I mentioned how creative you are?"

"Are you still doing this?" She picked a penny off the ledge and tossed it into the water before continuing her stroll.

"They way you bring down those akumas." He whistled. "It's like magic."

She laughed. "Aren't you a little too famous to be fangirling?"

"Of course not! And since I know more about you than anyone else..." he trailed off, looking delighted at his insight. He knew her in a way no one else did. She felt the same way about him, honored to be part of this boy's secret life he shared only with her.

"... than anyone else," he continued, "I know more details to fangirl about."

She stopped. The ledge she had been walking around was only a few inches high, but it was just enough to let her look him directly in the eye.

"I'm going to bring a pen to our next patrol," she said, frowning slightly to let him know she was serious.

"Why?"

"So I can autograph your face. You're forbidden from washing it off."

"If you doodle a little heart next to it, you've got yourself a deal," he said, holding out a hand.

Instead of shaking it, she used it to hop down. "We should get going, you goofball. It's late."

"Can I at least get a picture?" He waved his baton around like an overexcited tourist with a new camera, but she suspected this request was real.

"Don't you have enough pictures of me?" she asked. "You took six during tonight's patrol alone."

"Never," he said. "And it was fourteen." Smiling timidly and extending a hand for her, he waited, until she finally slipped in beside him.

"Dork," she said, preparing her camera smile.

"Of course." He moved in even closer. Warmth radiated from him as he held her, letting his head fall on hers. She couldn't help but wrap her arms around him and lean in. When he started to purr quietly, her picture perfect smile morphed into a delighted one.

The baton's camera flashed, the moment was broken, and Ladybug pulled away. "Now we _really_ should get going," she said.

Cat Noir yawned again. "Yeah, I guess."

He bowed, reaching for her hand, which she graciously bestowed. He did this enough that she knew what to expect next, a kiss and a wink and maybe one last flirt, but that wasn't what happened.

He kissed her, his lips lingered over the back of her hand, and Ladybug had to put two fingers to her mouth to remind herself not to call off her transformation. The sudden desire to feel his lips on her skin was as overwhelming as it was unexpected.

When she didn't pull away, he kissed her again. And again. Gently, to make his intentions clear. Again, reverently, so she would know what she meant to him. And again, lazily, a promise that he would kiss her all night if she wished. Ladybug's breath caught as he dragged his lips across her hand, turning it over slowly, and pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist, where her pulse beat wildly. Unable to respond, unable to do anything but wait and see what he would do next, Ladybug watched as he straightened and held her gaze.

"Goodnight," he whispered, and disappeared into the darkness. She was left stunned, breathless, as she stared after him.

Stumbling back to her room _much _later, Ladybug collapsed onto her bed and contemplated her ceiling. Since when could Cat Noir shock her into into silence? Actually, she couldn't remember any other time he'd been able to do it. Surprise. That must have been what it was. That's why she had been quiet.

She didn't detransform right away. No doubt Tikki would have words for her about staying out so late or questions about how she felt about Cat Noir. Both seemed like good topics to avoid, so Ladybug waited, her finger idly outlining the areas his lips had touched, until her yoyo buzzed with an incoming message.

Her own face smiled up at her when she flipped it open. Cat Noir had sent her the picture he'd just taken, and it was easy to see why he had wanted to share it. Ladybug had never seen herself so happy in a photo, wrapped around her partner, joyful and absolutely beaming. They were framed by the moonlit fountain in the background, which sparkled like stars.

But it was Cat Noir who drew her attention the most. His head rested on hers, nose in her hair, eyes closed, smiling softly. He was completely at peace as he snuggled against her. There was no one he would rather be with, and it showed in how he held her.

Ladybug debated for less than a second before jumping off her loft bed and turning on her printer. It was too good of a picture not to display. But where to put it? Alya would notice a photo like this, and the questions she would ask about it were best avoided.

By the time it had finished printing, she'd figured out the perfect spot. She tucked it up in a corner next to her loft bed, invisible from below. No one else would see it. It was for her eyes only.

"One more thing," she muttered to no one. She pulled open her yoyo for the last time that night, took a picture of her new decor, wrote a caption, and sent it back to her partner. She detransformed before she got his reply.

* * *

_Author's note: Cat Noir uses romance. It's super effective! Nice to know his hours of anime research are finally paying off. _

_While I was planning this, I tried to stick to what I think their love languages would be, but then when I wrote it, I think I accidentally gave them both mine. Oops. Anyone care to take a guess at what it is? I feel like it's super obvious in this chapter._


	9. Claws and Bugs

Chapter Nine – Claws and Bugs

Adrien was normally quick to hop out of bed in the morning, eager for school and to see his friends, but today he laid in bed for nearly twenty minutes, staring at the picture Ladybug had sent him. (He'd printed it and kept it under his pillow all night. Plagg had made fun of him.) Adrien was determined to have it memorized by the time he left for school.

Ladybug had made sure to hide personal details and belongings from view. There were no hints to her identity, but she hadn't been able to hide the pink wall she'd taped the picture to. Pink. Her room was painted pink. Was that her favorite color? Should he get her pink flowers? She also hadn't hidden her pink bedspread. Her bed! Not only had she hung up his picture, but she'd put it next to her BED. Was it the first thing she saw that morning? Had she been staring at it as she'd fallen asleep last night?

A loud knock on the door gave him a half-second warning to hide the picture under his blanket before Nathalie came marching in. She didn't even look at him before she began listing off his schedule for the day, which was packed. "Your father expects you downstairs promptly. You both will be very busy today, and he doesn't want any delays."

"Yes, Nathalie. I'll be right down." As soon as she left the room, he lunged for the photo. Breakfast could wait, so he sank into his pillows and forgot about Nathalie and her schedules, holding the photo high above his head this time, to get a new angle.

There was light shining directly onto Ladybug's bedroom wall, though he couldn't see its source. That probably meant she had a lamp close by. Did she read before falling asleep? What was her favorite book?

The best part of her message last night was definitely the caption she'd added. "Got to have a picture of my favorite partner on display!" It was silly. It shouldn't make him so happy. He was her only partner, but he had never been called anyone's favorite anything before. He repeated her words to himself as he finally got ready for the day.

He skipped down the stairs, ten minutes late for breakfast, only to be greeted by a scowl.

"Did Nathalie tell you I expected your punctuality?" his father asked. Even from Gabriel's spot at the far end of the table, Adrien could feel the open disappointment, almost anger. But Ladybug's words kept him insulated and safe.

"Yes," Adrien said. "But I didn't know-"

"And you chose to disrespect her direction and my time because?"

"Uh..." Because Ladybug said he was her favorite! She didn't push him away when he kissed her! "I guess I was... tired?"

"I see," Gabriel said, picking up his plate has he rose from the table. "I had hoped to spend some time with my son, but as he places such a low value on me, I will be finishing my meal in my office." Gabriel swept past him and was gone.

"If he'd _told_ me he was going to be here..."

"His loss," Plagg said from his pocket. "Hey, we could always go back to bed. I think there's a certain wheel of cheese calling my name and a certain picture calling yours."

"Nice try." Adrien grabbed his plate and walked toward the front door. It was odd, how bad he didn't feel about his father's behavior. It was unfortunate, but it couldn't damage his good mood. He was Ladybug's favorite! She'd let him kiss her hand like six times last night!

Remembering that got him through a grueling day. Nathalie hadn't been exaggerating when she said he'd be busy. School was full of tests and Chloe's drama, all made harder by his sleep deprivation. Double fencing left him exhausted. Then there was a photoshoot. And finally, piano lessons, where he was berated for his "obvious lack of practice and respect for the piano as an instrument and an art form."

"I'd like to see _him _work in practicing around all the akumas I have to fight."

"Or all the daydreaming about _Ladybug_," Plagg added. It was amazing how much of Adrien's pillow he was taking up. Plagg was spread out, basking in a square of sunshine. One eye was cracked open, so he could see what kind of effect his teasing had.

"I'm not _that _bad."

"You sure?"

"Scoot over." Adrien flopped face-first onto his bed, already reaching for the photo. It was a relief to have his room to himself again. He was nearing his physical limits, and he had past his people limit a long time ago. Well, people that weren't Ladybug. He wished there was a patrol scheduled tonight. Having pictures of her was nice, but nothing could compare to the comfort of her presence.

The door swung open, and Plagg dove out of sight while Adrien scrambled to his feet to face his visitor. Seeing Gabriel twice on the same day was a rare occurrence, and normally Adrien would have been glad for the attention, but his father's face was even more sour than it had been that morning.

"The photographer sent me the raw images of today's shoot, Adrien. Your work was subpar."

Adrien's mouth twitched. He did _not _have the energy for this. "It's just the raws," Adrien said. "They're going to Photoshop it anyway."

"You can't airbrush failure. Your performance was unacceptable."

"Maybe it shouldn't have been scheduled after two hours of fencing, then. I was tired." His words hung in the air between them, but Adrien wouldn't have taken them back even if he could have. He was too tired. Too tired of being pushed around today, too tired of being everyone's disappointment.

"You will not be practicing with your band on Saturday."

"But they're counting on me to be there! I've missed the last four-"

Gabriel steamrolled over him. "You will be spending your newly freed time to practice your piano. I met your teacher on his way out, and he tells me your skill is quickly deteriorating."

Adrien folded his arms and looked away.

"I can see this is getting too much for you," Gabriel said softly.

Adrien dared to hope that his father was finally understanding him, that he would be removing some of his burdensome lessons or shoots, but he should have known better. It made Gabriel's next words cut deeper.

"If your performance – and your attitude – do not improve, we will be returning to homeschooling."

Even as he left the room, it felt like Gabriel's claws closed in around Adrien. No band on Saturday. That was expected. It seemed like his father would use any excuse to keep him from going. But no school? The last time he'd threatened that had been ages ago. And if he were being monitored by a tutor at home all day, it would be so much harder to slip away if an akuma attacked. No band, no school, no Cat Noir.

Adrien threw himself on the piano bench in frustration and started playing. Let his father hear him practice. Let him think that his son was cooperative and submissive.

"Ah, don't worry," Plagg said, floating over. He'd retrieved Ladybug's picture from underneath the pillow, and it dangled between his paws. "He'll forget about everything in a few days. Just watch." He set the photo on top of Adrien's music.

"Just let me play," Adrien said, shifting the picture aside to see the music. "I want him to think he's won." Plagg was trying to be helpful, and he appreciated the gesture, but he needed to see the real thing. A photo wasn't enough anymore.

"Why?"

"So he won't check on me again." Don't think. Just play. Then see Ladybug.

Don't feel.

This plan only lasted fifteen minutes until Adrien couldn't stand to be in his own house any longer. It would have to be enough. He was jumping through the window before he'd even finished transforming, into the first truly cold night of October. The city was misty and dreary, which didn't match his mood. He wanted a thunderstorm.

Sixteen blocks away from his house, he finally stopped to contact Ladybug. It rang, and rang and rang, until it went to her inbox. Even though he knew there was no point, that she wasn't transformed, he tried again. And again. The weather turned menacing.

When he finally gave up - without leaving a message - he wasn't sure what to do next. There was nowhere he could really go. There was no one who really wanted him around. So he wandered, buffeted by the wind and getting soaked to the bone, trying not to remind himself that because he was Ladybug's only partner, he was also her _least _favorite.

"She never said that," he told himself firmly. "That wasn't what she meant." Alone and abandoned in the rain, it was hard to believe he'd had a reason to be happy that morning.

Water and wind eventually drove him to find shelter. The Notre Dame was big enough to hide him, tall enough that he wouldn't be able to hear the people and cars below him. The enormous roof was made out of wood and had many eaves and ledges he where he could sit and be alone, but when he sat down, he found that the spot was already taken.

"Figures," he said. A swarm of ladybugs huddled there for warmth. "You're not the one I want right now." He settled down anyway and stayed there, unmoving, for he didn't know how long. Long enough that tourists returned to their hotels and street lights flickered on. Long enough for the bugs to realize he was a much better heat source than the wooden rafters and start to crawl over him instead. His only friends.

"It's a sign," he said, looking down at himself. "Soon she'll want me just as much as you all do."

"Who are you talking to?"

"Ladybug!" She'd come! And just like that, his heart hurt a little less. "Would you like to meet my friends?" He motioned to the little insects crawling over his knees.

Droplets of water hit his legs as she wrung out her hair. "They can't get enough of you," she noted, sitting down next to him. The ledge was wide and sheltered from the wind, just big enough for the both of them.

"So you were jealous and came to get a piece of the action?"

"Ha. Funny. I checked the Ladyblog a few minutes ago and saw reports that you've been up here for hours, sulking."

"Oh, uh..." Should he tell her? Should he try to cover it up? Play it off? He didn't want her to think he couldn't handle something as stupid as a bad day. She would be disappointed in him too, just like everyone else, and he would do anything to avoid that.

But Ladybug saw through his hesitation. "Your dad again?"

Cat Noir sighed and then nodded. "Today's been kind of awful." It was a relief to tell the truth. And an even bigger relief that he didn't have to say it himself.

"I'm sorry," she said, leaning against him, lending him her support with her presence.

They didn't talk much. Ladybug brushed bugs off his shoulders and hands, and stroked his hair whenever she thought he needed a distraction from the gloom that waited for him beyond their island of tranquility.

"I wish I'd gotten here sooner," she said over an hour later. "We're partners. I hate the idea of you facing tough stuff by yourself, even if it's not an akuma."

"You could always give me your number, Bugaboo," he joked. "I tried calling your yoyo earlier, but you weren't transformed."

He expected an eye roll and a lecture on keeping civilian and super lives separate, so he wasn't quite sure what to make of it when she looped her arm through his and hummed thoughtfully. Was she actually _considering_ it? He'd said it as a joke!

But she lapsed back into silence without really answering, and the hope her reaction had ignited was quickly extinguished in the gloom that engulfed the rest of the city. Of course she wasn't going to give him her number. She was more willing to spend time with him, more generous with her touches because she knew he was upset, but that was it. There was no indication that it would ever be more than that, and he shouldn't get his hopes up.

They spent another half hour in silence, until Ladybug got up with a grimace. "We can't stay out late two nights in a row."

"Yeah, I should get back. Before someone misses me." Miss him? Ha. Like that would happen.

"I have an idea," she said, holding a hand out to help him up. "And I think you'll really like it."

"What's that?" Once on his feet, Cat Noir didn't let her hand go. Neither, he noticed, did she.

"I'll tell you tomorrow, if I can figure out the details."

"We don't have patrol tomorrow, though."

"Oh, well, we could- that is..."

She paused and looked shyly away, and Cat Noir felt his feeble hope burn back to life. This was something new. Scheduling to meet up outside of patrols? It was unprecedented. It couldn't be...

"Would you meet me anyway?"

"Of course, LB. I would love to."

"Ten at the Tower?"

"Sure."

It was happening. It was honestly, truly happening. They were planning to meet, not because the city needed them, or because he was having a bad day, or on accident. Just because she wanted to spend time with him.

Ladybug beamed, then pushed herself up on her toes and kissed his cheek before saying in a rush, "Hope you feel better. See you tomorrow. Bye!"

As soon as she was out of sight, Cat Noir did a little dance on the ledge. But the ledge wasn't big enough, and on his second pirouette, he lost his balance and fell off. Laughing, he waited until the very last second to save himself, but even that rush couldn't compare to the high his Lady had just given him.

* * *

_Author's note: This story is officially a "Notre Dame Cathedral Didn't Burn Down" AU. I'm a writer. I can make reality whatever I want, and I want that building to not have burned._

_I had a lot of obstacles to getting this chapter done for tonight, and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to. I had to push myself to get this done in time, but I'm happy that I did! Next week, back to Marinette. Let's see what SHE makes out of her own behavior!_


	10. Friends

Chapter Ten – Friends

At school the next morning, Marinette made the mistake of doodling a pair of cat ears in her notebook while waiting for class to start. Well, that wasn't really the mistake. But she should have hidden it better.

"So how is Cat Noir these days?" Alya asked, sliding toward Marinette on their bench.

"I don't know, Alya. _You're_ the one who follows him and Ladybug around all the time. Shouldn't I be asking you?"

"But _I'm _not the one with the massive crush on him."

"Humph." Marinette bent low over her paper and continued doodling, trying to ignore her friend.

Alya slid closer, until they were hip to hip. "I don't hear any denials," she sang.

"Only because you wouldn't believe them anyway." Why waste the energy? The cat ears on her notebook complete, she moved on to drawing whiskers and a nose. Cat Noir was going to be so excited tonight! She'd worked out all the details and was ready to surprise him. She couldn't wait to see his face! Uh... the happy look on his face. Not that she couldn't wait to see his _face._ You know what? She was going to stop thinking now.

Alya bumped her shoulder, trying to get her attention. When Marinette continued to ignore her, she tried a different tactic. "What do you think, Adrien?"

"About what?" Adrien broke off his conversation with Nino and turned around in his seat. Wide-eyed and smiling, he looked up at them, glancing from one to the other.

"Cat Noir and my girl, here." She slung an arm over Marinette's shoulders. "Don't you think they'd be cute together?"

Marinette shook her head.

"Why not?" Adrien said. "She's great, he's great."

_This is a new low, Alya. _

"I don't know," Marinette said, tapping her chin. "I don't think I could stand the smell."

"The... smell?" Adrien asked, leaning back in his seat. "What are you-"

"Yeah," she continued, "because of all the _purr-_fume."

Adrien blinked, then laughed. "You share a sense of humor, too." He looked overjoyed by the joke, and bouncier than she had ever seen him.

Marinette chuckled. "Yea—no. No, I just..." Had heard enough bad puns that they came naturally? Was thinking about Cat Noir a lot today? What was wrong with her?! But Ms. Mendeleiev came in, and Marinette was spared from finishing her sentence.

"Where did your stutter go?" Alya whispered, as soon as the teacher's back was turned.

Marinette bent low over her notebook, pretending to be engrossed in the class. Where _had _her stutter gone? She'd held a normal conversation. And told him a cat pun?! She dug her pencil too hard into her paper and ripped a hole in it.

The worst part was how terrible she didn't feel when Adrien – her Adrien – had agreed she and Cat Noir would be great together.

_I'm just excited about tonight,_ Marinette reasoned. _I wasn't giving Adrien my full attention. _

As soon as she realized this meant she had been distracted from Adrien by thoughts Cat Noir, she shut down that line of thinking, claimed it must have been due to a serious lack of sleep, and forced herself to pay attention to the class. She was only mildly successful. At the end of the day, her pages were half filled with notes and half with doodles of green eyes and black masks.

She hid them all from Alya.

Ten o'clock could not come fast enough. Marinette's poor partner had been so sad the last time she'd seen him, but she was about to change that (she hoped). A full 30 minutes before she needed to, Marinette was ready to leave.

"Isn't this a little early?" Tikki asked.

"Well, yeah." Marinette took her phone out of her pocket. Everything was set, so why wait? "But he always beats me out there. I want to be first for once. Spots on." Careful not to drop her phone and the slip of paper she had prepared, Ladybug rushed to the Eiffel Tower.

Even as early as she was, Cat Noir still got there before her.

"Ladybug!" he yelled, waving. "Aww! Couldn't wait to see me again?"

"Something like that," she said, a blush already rising. What was with her today? It wasn't like she had a crush on him! They were just friends! "Surprise!" Ladybug pulled out her phone and showed him the app she had found, pushing it into his face.

"What?"

"Texting!" she said, pulling her phone back and handing him the paper. "It's what friends do instead of talking!"

He examined the string of numbers she'd handed him. "You- you're giving me your number?" He looked guarded, like he didn't trust what she was saying. "You said that's too dang-"

"It is, but look!" She held up her phone again. "It's not my real number. It's a texting app. You can download, too. And we can set special ringtones, and bury them in folders so no one will see them, and password-protect them AND we can talk in code, so it always stays secure."

"I think that might be overkill." Cat Noir was quiet and still, staring down at the paper in his hands.

Ladybug felt suddenly self-conscious. "Sorry this is kind of a lame surprise. I want to be here for you, but sharing identities is still too risky." She was not about to admit that she had considered that, if only briefly.

"Lame?" he asked, looking up. "Do I have permission to text you whenever I want?" As soon as she nodded, he said, "Then this is the best gift I've ever received!" He dove in for a hug and spun her around. "You might regret saying I can text _whenever_ I want."

"Oh, I'm sure I will."

He set her down, but gave her one last squeeze before letting go.

"Rules!" she said, already missing his warmth. "We at least have to have a code and nicknames for each other. My best friend likes to stick her nose into everything."

"Right," Cat Noir said, suddenly all business. "I'd like you to name my contact either 'Hot Stuff' or 'Eye Candy.' 'Dreamboat' is also acceptable."

Ladybug made a show of looking him up and down. Then, in the most unimpressed tone she could manage, she said, "Well, that's too bad for you, isn't it?"

"C'mon! You know it's true!"

"Nope."

_Yup. _

There was no way she would ever say it out loud, but the truth was undeniable: Cat Noir was very good-looking. She had to force her mind back to the conversation in order to distract herself from the temptation of checking him out again.

"There's two reasons we're doing this," she said. "One, it'll be easier to coordinate patrols and warn each other about akumas."

"Ooh! I have an idea for our secret code," Cat Noir said, his ears perking up. "Want to hear it?"

"No, I don't think I do."

"Okay, here goes. When there's an akuma, I'll text you that your boyfriend-" He pointed to himself, so there could be no doubt as to who he meant. "-needs some kissing action, and the monster's location is our secret rendezvous point." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

_What would __**that**_ _be like? _she wondered. Slipping away to see him, hiding from passersby all over the city, squeezing into too-small spaces together, kissing him when no one was watching, letting him tangle his claws in her hair, his lips trailing along her jaw-

_OKAY! That's enough of that! _

With effort, she wrenched herself back to reality, where Cat Noir was waiting for a witty retort.

"Y-yeah, and I'll put your contact as 'Man of My Dreams' and gush about how much I love you, and my friends will TOTALLY lay off. Good plan." Smooth.

"Oh, I like that idea, My Lady. We should do that."

"I'm going to name you... The Dork."

"Aw!"

He pouted, but she didn't let herself think about the lip that he stuck out. "Second thing!" she said. "You are going to text me when something's bothering you. Got it? Let me know if you need me, because I know you're not as much of a tough guy as you pretend to be."

Cat Noir huffed dramatically and tried (and failed) to look indignant. "I'm super tough! I should be offended."

"And yet you're not," she said. "Seriously, if you need a hug or something, just ask."

"So the code," he said thoughtfully.

"I already disagree with whatever you're about to say."

"If it's not an emergency, then 'your boyfriend needs some hugging action.' An akuma remains 'kissing action.' Sound good?" He leaned in playfully, lips puckered, but let Ladybug push his face away.

"Don't get your hopes up," she said, Cat Noir's face still smushed against her palm. "I'm going to tell everyone I have to leave suddenly because my neighbor needs a babysitter."

He let out a muffled, "Aw, man! Babysitting?! That's what you think of me?" His breath tickled her hand.

"I'm happy you're taking this so well." And that he was happy again, as she'd hoped. They sat down and talked and laughed together for a while longer, and Ladybug felt that all was right in the world. Their dynamic seemed to finally be returning to normal – with the occasional addition of her furious blushing that she couldn't figure out. The only logical conclusion _had _to be wrong.

When Ladybug returned to her room, everything was dark and peaceful. Her parents had been in bed for ages. Even the street outside was quiet. She hadn't realized they'd been out there for that long. It was the second time that week she'd lost track of while with him.

Within seconds of detransforming and climbing into bed, her phone buzzed, just as she'd expected. Marinette checked it happily.

_The Dork: I don't know if I like my code anymore._

_Marinette: I know I'm going to regret it, but I'm asking you why anyway._

_The Dork: Because how am I supposed to ask you for real kisses if 'kiss' is already a code word?_ 😩 😭

_Marinette: GOOD NIGHT, DORK._

Without him there, it was easier to push away thoughts of secret rendezvous and stolen moments alone.

As she snuggled under her covers, her last conscious thought was of Adrien, and wondering how it was possible that she hadn't though of him once since seeing him at school.

* * *

_Author's note: Marinette made that joke in class completely on her own. I had NOTHING to do with it. I just got to that part in the draft and she's like, "Hey, writer, I'm making a joke to Adrien about how bad Cat Noir smells. You'd better think of a pun that makes it make sense." And I just rolled with it. (And she definitely set his ringtone to either "Nyan Cat" or "I'm a Kitty Cat.") There should be one more (short) chapter this week!_


	11. Habits

Chapter Eleven – Habits

Over the next week, Marinette's morning routine changed dramatically. Instead of lurching awake at her alarm, only to turn it off and fall back asleep instantly, she would now open up her secret texting app and look at what Cat Noir had sent her. It turned out, he was an early riser, and she had woken up every morning to see a cute message or a silly joke. Delight bubbled inside her to know that he sent her these things just because he wanted to make her smile.

This morning, a simple text waited for her.

_The Dork: Good morning! I miss you! You are the best part of my day._ ❤️

"Aww!" Marinette ducked her head under the covers, though with Tikki still asleep, no one was around to see her crimson cheeks and radiant smile.

This was another thing that had changed, though it had developed more subtly. Before, she'd only blushed when he was around. In the past few days, she had started to blush and giggle to herself whenever she got a text, or even when she was only thinking about him. And it was happening more and more often.

This... this wasn't "friend" behavior.

She didn't make it a habit of getting up early to check Alya's texts or Nino's messages. They couldn't make her blush. She didn't spend the hours she was away from them missing them. No, this was definitely not how she treated a friend. Her heart did a little flip at the realization.

Before she could change her mind, she wrote back, "Aw, you're cute. 😊" and climbed out of bed.

The cold rungs of the ladder on her feet helped wake her up, physically and mentally, and she thought maybe she should tone it down with the texting. They'd been friends for too long for their relationship to change so dramatically. And after all, she was still 100% devoted to Adrien. Whatever feelings she had for Cat Noir were probably going to pass in a few days.

_I think._

At the bottom her ladder, she yawned and stretched and looked up. It was only then that she realized what she was standing under. Adrien's schedule. The one she used to check every day. Her habit of reaching for the cord every time she walked past had evaporated without her noticing, and she couldn't even remember when she'd last checked it. A week ago? Two weeks? She didn't know.

A thought, which sounded very much like Cat Noir, asked, _Is that a purr-oblem?_

No. No puns. That was habit she was never going to start.

She reached for the cord, then lowered her hand slowly, leaving the calendar hidden where it was. She felt no desire to check it.

* * *

_Author's Note: So... she finally admits it. _

_Hey, real quick, I need a building or monument that's close to Marinette's house where two people could sit for an extended period of time and not be bothered. I'm taking suggestions._


	12. Time

Chapter Twelve – Time

Adrien lay across his unmade bed, trying for the hundredth time to think of what he should write while he blinked back tears.

_Adrien: Hey, I hope you're having a great day. Mine would be great if I could see you! Are you free? _😊

No, that one was way too cheerful. He deleted it, getting morbid satisfaction from wiping out the happiest words he'd seen or heard all day, and tried again.

_Adrien: I feel horrible and you're the only person in the world who cares about me. Can I please see you? _

Yeah, right. There was no way he could send Ladybug a needy text like that. If she knew what an emotional wreck he was right now, she would probably avoid him.

Finally admitting that it was a lost cause, he threw his phone on his pillow and pushed himself off the bed, then paced, walking fast enough to take his mind off the tightness in his throat.

It was a bright and cheery Sunday afternoon. All his tutors took weekends off, so he had nothing to do. His bodyguard was off duty, so he was stuck at home. He'd told Nino he was fine, and he hadn't thought to ask if Adrien was lying. Even Plagg, sensing his mood, had been giving him space all day, trying to be less irritating, though Adrien would have preferred being annoyed to feeling completely abandoned. He could have told Plagg that but...

He stopped in front of the large windows, blinking hard. Leaves were falling outside, covering the walkways around his house, scattering in the wind.

It wasn't unusual for him to be trapped at home on a Sunday, but this one happened to fall on the worst day of the year: the anniversary of his mother's disappearance. The house was empty, he couldn't go anywhere as Adrien, his father was hiding in the house somewhere and obviously avoiding him, there'd been no akumas, no distractions, no friends, no Ladybug. She hadn't even texted him once. Not once! Didn't she care?

He resumed his pacing, stomping back to his bed.

He had no idea what he would have said to her anyway, so maybe it was just as well. Jokes and cat memes were too happy, and it wasn't like he could tell her what was wrong without giving away his identity. He kicked the bed frame when he reached it, and his phone slid off the pillow.

Ladybug _did_ tell him to let her know if he needed anything. What he really wanted now was time and attention from someone who loved him. He picked up the phone and tried again.

_Adrien: You said I can ask for a hug if I need one. What if I need more than one? What if I need a hundred?_

He sighed. How many would he delete before he gave up for good?

_Adrien: It's a nice day outside. Patrol? _

_Adrien: Guess what? Your boyfriend needs some hugging action. _

Even if he could get the words out, she was never going to say yes. She was sweet to him during patrols when she thought he was upset, and it was nice to have an open line of communication with her, but it ended there. She wasn't about to spend time with him for no reason.

While one half of him screamed that he was abusing the gift she'd given him by asking for her time, that she'd reject him and block his number, and he'd be forced to watch their entire friendship go up in flames, the other half begged him to try one last time. He really, really needed someone right now.

_Adrien: I'm having a rough day. Can I see you? _

He hit send.

There were a million ways she could turn him down. Saying she was busy right now, or that she couldn't get away from her civilian life, or just that she didn't care about him enough. That last thought sent a stabbing pain through him. He clenched his jaw, fighting hot tears. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, ready to type "Never mind."

Before he could hit "N," her reply popped up.

_Love of My Life: I'll be at 17 Rue Gotlib in five minutes. Hold on, Kitten! _

Adrien read the message six times before he believed it. Then he ran for his window.

* * *

_Author's note: I channeled every time I beat myself up over something stupid into this chapter._

_Ladybug to the rescue in the next chapter! Which should be longer than these last two. Want a rundown of the sap to angst ratio for the rest of the fic? So there's eight chapters of sap, followed by five and a half chapters of angst and drama, and then six and a half chapters of pure, fluffy sap._

_Thank you to everyone who suggested places. I was really drawing a blank on that!_


	13. Food

Chapter Thirteen – Food

Marinette had spent the whole Sunday in the bakery. The chill in the air seemed to drive people to seek out warm bread, so they had been exceptionally busy today, but it was late afternoon and the rush had died down, and she was going to finally get a break. Which she was going to spend on her phone. Cat Noir hadn't texted her all day, and she'd been meaning to ask if he was okay.

"Marinette," her father asked. "Could you bring these back as you leave? I'll get the rest later." He handed her an enormous mixing bowl overflowing with bread, cookies, muffins, and croissants, too old to sell.

"Sure." Marinette hoisted it onto her hip and walked into the kitchen. It was a shame that they'd have to throw it out. Most of it was still good, just a little stale. As she walked through the doorway, Cat Noir's ringtone began to play.

"Finally!" she whispered. She ran the rest of the way into the kitchen, tossing the bowl onto the counter and pulling her phone from the pocket of her apron. She caught her expression in the reflective surface of the stove, a goofy smile, cheeks dusted with pink and flour. Coupled with just how excited she was to get a message from him, there was really no denying what was happening.

Her heart sank when she read the short message. He was upset, and he needed her. He must have be feeling completely awful if it had kept him from texting her all day. It had better not be his father again. Cat Noir had barely said anything about him, but she already didn't like that man. Marinette didn't need to consider her course of action. She knew immediately what she wanted to do.

_Marinette: I'll be at 17 Rue Gotlib in five minutes. Hold on, Kitten! _

He'd know where that was. The location of their "date" after fighting Glaciator a few months ago. It might not hold the happiest memories for him, but it was closeby, and even with the five minute timer ticking, she would be able to get there before him and set up, make it look welcoming, be waiting for him when he arrived.

She raced through the house, flinging off her apron, grabbing a basket and her favorite blanket, and rushing back to the kitchen to grab the leftovers and say goodbye to her parents. Picnic basket banging against her leg, she ran down the street to find a good hiding spot. Her eyes raked the skyline to their meeting place and landed upon golden hair and two black ears. She was ahead of schedule, but he had still beaten her there. _He must live nearby,_ she realized.

As soon as her feet touched the roof a few seconds later, Ladybug found herself engulfed in a hug. Cat Noir sank into her, burying his face into her shoulder. She hadn't even retracted her yoyo yet. She wanted to hug him back, wrap him up so nothing could ever hurt him again, but she couldn't, not with one arm strung out to a distant building and the other dragged down by the basket.

"Could you let go for a s-"

Cat Noir leaped away from her like she had screamed at him. As quickly as she could, she set the basket down and grabbed him, squeezing him tightly, rubbing his back soothingly, not letting go until she felt some of the tension leave him. When she finally stepped back, she took a good look at his face. His cheeks were splotchy, and his eyes were bloodshot. She wanted to cry in sympathy.

"Why didn't you text me sooner?" she asked.

He shrank back, though she hadn't said it harshly. "Sorry. I- I probably shouldn't have. I should just g-" He turned away to leave.

"No." She grabbed him, her cheek pressing into his back. "You did the right thing. You need to let me know when you're upset."

He'd probably been marinating in his self-pity all day. Why hadn't he just let her know he needed help?! And what on earth was wrong? Whatever it was, she hated it for hurting her partner. When she finally let him go, her irritation must have seen been displayed across her face, because he shrunk away from her.

When was this boy going to let her help him, instead of flinching away from her? Now was not the time to address it though, so she swallowed her irritation and smoothed out her expression.

"Help me with the blanket?"

Cat Noir looked down and finally saw what she'd brought. "Nice quilt."

It wasn't really. The patterns didn't match and the squares were uneven and the stitches were so bad that the overstuffed batting was poking through in several places, but it was thick and warm and she loved it. "Thanks. I worked hard on it."

"You made this?"

"It was my very first project."

"Oh. Nice."

As he bent to pick up the quilt, Ladybug frowned. He normally would have been jumping up and down to learn something personal about her, which is why she'd shared that detail, but he'd barely sounded interested. Her plan to feed him and spend an hour or two with him would have to be supplemented somehow if she wanted to cheer him up.

"What's in the basket?" He grabbed the blanket and lifted it off the top, revealing the treats underneath.

"Just the necessities," she said, grabbing a corner of the quilt and motioning to a spot against the metal railing for them to sit. "What do you want first? I've got cookies, scones, some bread?"

Cat Noir plopped down onto the blanket and stared at his knees.

"Cat?" Ladybug sat next to him and put the basket at their feet. "Or we could just sit for a few minutes?"

He dropped his head onto her shoulder, his hair tickling her cheek, his breathing shaky. They stayed that way for several minutes, until he couldn't seem to keep himself upright anymore and put his head on her lap, curling the rest of himself up next to her. His tail draped over her legs. Cold October air swirled around them on the roof, kept at bay by the warmth they shared as they cuddled together. She held him for a few minutes, until his breathing evened out and he started to shift restlessly, and she reminded him that she'd brought dinner.

"You didn't need to," he said, straightening.

"I wanted to." Ladybug handed him the biggest cookie and the flakiest croissant she could find. Wind cut through her suit, making her shiver, and she huddled closer to Cat Noir for warmth. He noticed and folded the bottom edge of the blanket up until it covered her feet. Even though he was hurting so deeply, he was taking care of her, and she felt herself fall a little more.

"I know why you're doing all this," he said, wrapping an arm around her.

"I'd have that that was obvious. I want to-"

"Make me fall in love with you. Clearly."

"What?" She jerked away from him, but the arm around her waist and its siren warmth easily drew her back in.

"Easiest way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Your wily plans won't work on me, LB. I know your devious tricks." His tone was listless, completely lacking his usual humor.

"More like you can't fall for me harder than you already have," she said.

"Maybe." He smiled very faintly, a shadow of what she was used to, and it sparked an idea.

"I can't tell you what that does to my ego," she said, fanning herself, "having a famous superhero hitting on me all the time." It might be crossing a line, but she already too far, so she added, "A really hot one."

Face red, he grabbed another muffin and stuffed the whole thing into his mouth so he could avoid looking at her. "Are you sure I'm the only person in love here?" he finally asked.

She was sure he was not.

"Because you're the one who asked me out to dinner," he continued.

She glanced at the half-empty basket, panicking. Flirting was one thing, but she didn't want to give him false hope by accidentally asking him out. "That's not what this is."

"Really? Then why did you choose this spot? I think you're trying to win me over."

Ladybug shoved another croissant into his mouth to shut him up. He chuckled around his mouthful of food and drew her closer, until they were pressed together from shoulder to hip to ankle.

Was that really why? Had she chosen this place because she was trying to recreate their first "date"? Was she feeding him because she wanted, subconsciously, to secure his feelings for her? She was still trying to decide how she felt about him! The _last _thing she needed right now was for him to fall harder for her. But logic could not silence the quiet voice of _Yes! Love me! Please love me more!_

How was it that so much of their relationship had changed, but it still felt so much the same? They had always talked and laughed together and had their inside jokes. Their bond of trust was forged on day one and had been steadily getting stronger every day for over a year, so that wasn't new.

How was everything the same when it was so wonderfully different?

A gust blew autumn leaves from the street into their faces, and Ladybug giggled to see one stuck in Cat Noir's hair. Well, the giggling and blushing were new, but enjoying his company and wanting to be near him was not.

How?

She plucked the leaf from his hair, then tickled his nose with it, until he twitched and blew it away, his smile still dim, but stronger than it had been all night.

As she tucked herself back into his side, she knew how. Losing her memory hadn't created any new feelings for her partner. It had just let her see them clearly for the first time.

* * *

_Author's note: Phew! I wasn't even sure I was going to get this done for tonight. The first draft of this chapter was such a pain and I was super busy the last few days. You'll be getting two or three chapters next week. They'll both/all be short and (now that Marinette's no longer in denial) very mushy._


	14. Encouragement

Chapter Fourteen – Encouragement

Texting Ladybug had probably been the best decision Cat Noir had ever made. He'd spent so much of the day miserable, but now he was lying down next to the lady of his dreams on a homemade blanket she'd brought just for him, picnic basket almost empty, and feeling- well, not good, but at least not empty and abandoned. Their heads were close together, and she wasn't complaining about the lazy circles he was tracing on the back of her hand with one clawed finger.

And still he wondered. Was she lying this close to him on purpose? Or was she only cold? Was she solely trying to cheer him up? Or...

"So are you ready to talk about what's wrong?" Her question was a whisper.

"Can't," he sighed. "Personal life stuff."

"Your dad again?"

"I wish it were that trivial."

Ladybug hummed, though he wasn't sure if it was in sympathy or displeasure. A gust of wind made her shiver, and she slid even closer, tucking her toes under him for warmth. He wished he were feeling better so he could appreciate what it felt like as she snuggled into him.

"Could you maybe talk about it without specifics?"

"Not if you don't want major identity hints."

She hesitated.

She actually hesitated.

Long enough that Cat Noir started to get his hopes up, that she'd ask him to say it anyway, that she'd let him tell her. It would be so much easier. He would be able to actually talk to someone about his grief, how he felt orphaned by his mother's disappearance and his father's distance.

And if she figured out who he was, that was fine with him. He'd be able to share both halves of himself with her. Both halves already belonged to her anyway.

But she shook her head and mumbled, "Sorry," and Cat Noir sunk back into the dreary stupor that had held him prisoner all day, his pinprick of hope snuffed out.

"I'll just have to guess at what to say to make you feel better," she said. "Tell me how I do, okay?"

"Don't. You're not going to guess it." She was probably going to be way off and not say anything helpful, just hollow phrases like, "You've got this!" and "Cheer up! Everything's fine!"

"You're stubborn." she said. "And it's very annoying."

It was so unexpected that he smiled in spite of everything. "You're really bad at this."

"But it makes you good at our job because you always get back up, no matter what has been thrown at you. It's amazing. You're thoughtful and kind. I'm always impressed with how you deal with akuma victims after we fix everything. You're much more compassionate than I am, did you know that? A lot of times, I'm ready to go home and _not_ deal with the person who was just trying to kill us, but you're never like that. Unless your time's almost up, you make sure they're okay."

She paused, letting her words sink in. He thought she hadn't noticed all that about him, the Adrien side that was sometimes visible through his Cat Noir charm. He'd never really thought about what those qualities would mean to his job – or to his Lady.

Whatever their intended effect, her words made him feel more curious. He'd had vague feelings that things had been different between them for weeks, but here was solid proof. Ladybug would never have noticed little things about him before, and she definitely wouldn't have commented on them if she had. Her feelings for him were changing.

She wasn't finished. "I'm glad you asked me to come out here. I love spending time with you, and I want you to know that you're important to me."

"Well, forget what I said before. You're pretty good at guessing," he said. It wasn't going to bring his mother back – there was nothing anyone could say that would – but the bands of heartache squeezing around his chest lessened as she continued her careful praise. And he knew she meant every word.

"Your puns aren't _that_ bad."

"I knew it."

"You make fighting to the death fun because you can always see the good in everything. You have never let me down; I know I can always depend on you. No matter what happens, I'm always going to be here for you."

As she talked, she watched the sky. Clouds were racing above them and stars were feebly starting to shine. Pinpricks of light, like the rays of hope she was poking through his gloom.

He turned to stare at her face in profile, mesmerized by the shape of her lips and their movement. As soon as she noticed, Ladybug stopped talking abruptly and stood up. He was disappointed, until he saw her blushing. He watched her brush imaginary dirt off herself to avoid his steady gaze until she got her face under control, then held out a hand to help him up. He didn't let go of her when she started to pull away, and she didn't complain, just quietly relaxed into his hold.

"I b-bet you can't beat me to P-parc de Bercy," she said, obviously looking for a change of subject.

He wasn't ready to let the moment go quite yet, so he stepped forward until he was close enough to bend down and kiss her cheek, just brushing the corner of her mouth, far to long to be just a peck and far too close to her lips to be platonic. He didn't want to push his luck, not today, so he pulled himself back and said, "Thank you."

"F-f-for what?" she asked, touching the spot.

"For the head start."

Cat Noir hopped over the railing, leaving his stuttering partner in his wake.

* * *

_Author's note: This is another group of chapters that should have been one chapter. This one and the next three are all one big scene that's been divided up, and I would have put into one chapter if I wasn't posting the prompts separately._


	15. Race Through the City

Chapter Fifteen – Race Through the City

Cat Noir flung himself through the frigid air, pushing his muscles to their limit, feeling his adrenaline and the wind in his hair burn away his sorrow from the day. The familiar zip of Ladybug's yoyo line was comforting, reminding him that she was behind him, in more ways than one. Their finish line at Parc de Bercy was on the other side of the city, and they were making good time. Cat Noir maintained his lead for several minutes, but Ladybug kept on his tail and slowly gained.

When she was close enough that he could hear her heavy breathing, he said, "I'll be a gentleman and let you go on ahead." He retracted his baton just enough to let her dart over him and watched her as she took the lead.

"That's a funny way to admit that I'm faster than you!"

He felt the wind of her passing and couldn't help but smile.

They bounded over a skyscraper, and the distant park came into view. Bare trees waved at them in the twilight, leaves swirled in the empty streets. Most of the civilians had gone home to get away from the cold, but the chill was waking Cat Noir up.

Ladybug was two leaps ahead of him, and he let her stay there. He was sure she'd let him know all about her victory later, but had other things on his mind, like how they'd been together for well over an hour, and how he still couldn't believe she was there with him, like she'd promised she would be if he needed her. All he had to do was ask, and she said yes?

They bounded over the gates and into the park, Ladybug still ahead but slowing down now that they'd reached their destination. A giant pile of leaves sat almost directly in front of them and gave him an idea. As she pushed off of a park bench and leaped into the air, just before she threw her yoyo out to pull herself forward, she was in free fall, weightless, and Cat Noir pushed himself forward and caught her around the middle, ruining her trajectory and flinging them off course.

The pile erupted when they landed, spewing leaves in every direction. Ladybug shrieked in surprise until it was overpowered with her laughter, and he found himself laughing too - truly laughing - for the first time that day.

"Oh, so you think this is funny?" she asked, taking a fistful of leaves and throwing it into his face. "I'm glad!"

The crackling mound was enormous and completely hid them from the outside world. Leaves from the explosion rained down on top of them, covering them further. He tried to sit up, but she pushed him back down, burying them even deeper. They twisted and tumbled, each trying to keep the other from escaping their leafy igloo, until Cat Noir realized she was lying on top of him - his hands around her waist, legs tangled, faces only inches apart - and froze.

He was close enough to her face that he saw the exact moment she noticed their position. She blinked and stopped moving, balancing with one hand on the ground and the other on his chest. They were so close, but she didn't move away, not to close the gap, but not to retreat either. The air around them seemed to thicken, blocking all outside noise and light and existence. She was the only thing real to him, her and her ragged breath, and her eyes that darted to his lips and back again so quickly, and her face that dipped toward him slowly, almost imperceptibly as she lowered herself closer.

Eager anticipation electrified him, making him see and smell and feel her more vividly. Did she want him to? Tonight had started out as just a way to make him feel better, but maybe...

Slowly, gently, Cat Noir slipped one hand from her waist to her face, tilting her head, guiding her to him, and he lifted himself up to meet her halfway. Ladybug let him inch closer, her eyes beginning to drift closed.

Until finally, with a gasp, she lost her nerve and rolled off him.

* * *

_Author's note: DARN YOU, LADYBUG._


	16. Stars

Chapter 16 – Stars

Cat Noir's breath shuddered as Ladybug rolled off of him, slipping from underneath his hands, shattering the moment they'd almost shared.

He clung to the fact that she didn't go far, but stayed where she landed right next to him, pressed into his side from shoulder to toes, staring up through the gaps in the leaf pile to the few stars visible.

Protected from the outside world in their nest of leaves, they waited for the other to say something, to confirm or deny what had almost just happened. He felt frozen, suspended in time. The wind was quiet, the stars stood still, and no words came.

Gathering his courage, Cat Noir inched his fingers toward her and took her hand. Ladybug said nothing. Seconds lengthened as he brought her hand up to his face. Her boundaries flexed and stretched. He could tell, just by the way she stopped breathing, that she was deciding how far she would allow him in, but as he touched his lips to her hand, she took it back and started talking.

"Do you know what star that is?" she said, using her newly freed hand to point at one directly overhead.

_Grasping at anything to change the subject, My Lady? _But this was an opportunity to impress her.

"That's Capella, part of the constellation Auriga, sixth brightest star in the sky, and still not as bright as you."

"Really?" She sounded surprised, not impressed. But she hadn't rejected his compliment, so that was something.

He reached for her hand again, careful to keep it loose enough that she knew he was only offering her the option. He waited for her to pull away, and when she didn't, he started telling her everything his tutors had forced him to memorize. "That one is Aldebaran. That one's Betelgeuse. It's probably exploded already." He pointed each one out to her, barely aware of each one. His focus was completely on her. Was she still interested? Was she bored? Was she watching him? He interlaced their fingers.

With a nudge of his foot, the bottom edge of the pile collapsed inward and revealed more sky. A star was just visible through the bare branches of a tree. "That one's my least favorite. Sirius," he said, nodding to it.

"Why?"

"It's the dog star," Cat Noir said.

Ladybug laughed. "I'm learning all sorts of new things about you today. You're interested in astronomy?"

"Not really, but I like knowing it now."

"Then where did you learn all this?"

He waited before answering, uncertain if she was asking a personal question like that on purpose. "I can tell you," he said slowly, "but you'd be learning something about my home life. Do you still want to know?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched a battle take place across Ladybug's face. A frown of disapproval. Wide-eyed curiosity. Lips pursed in thought. How could this be making his heart pound so hard? She finally settled on a soft smile, calm and certain, like the one he made when he thought of her, and he knew she'd reached a decision.

"Sure," she said. "But nothing too obvious."

Just an hour ago he'd decided against pressing his luck, but her openness made him rethink that. Slowly, so he wouldn't startle her, he brought their interlaced hands up to his face again. "It's nothing really special. I was homeschooled for most of my life, and one of my tutors was very interested in stars. Sort of ruined it by just drilling me on facts. My father didn't allow me to stay up late to stargaze. This is nice."

He didn't kiss her, but he did brush his lips against her knuckles, imagining what it would be like to touch skin instead of suit, what it would be like for this to be a normal part of their relationship.

"Cat Noir," Ladybug complained.

* * *

_Author's note: We're officially halfway through! (At least chapter-wise. I don't know about length-wise.) You're getting another chapter tomorrow night! It's the last bit of this scene._


	17. CatchFall

Chapter 17 – Catch/Fall

"Sorry," he said, loosening his grip again and waiting for her to slide her hand away.

Except she didn't.

She merely frowned at him while she kept her hand resting on his chin. Their fingers were still intertwined.

"Um," he said, confused, "did you want me to stop doing this?" He lifted up their clasped hands, wiggling them.

She turned away and whispered, "I don't know."

She... she didn't know?! How could she not know? Did that mean- What did that mean? That she kind of wanted him to?

"Are you-?"

"We're lucky to see this many stars tonight, aren't we?" she said loudly, turning to face the sky.

She sounded nervous, which was a reaction he'd never gotten out of her before. If a change of topic was what she needed to feel comfortable, then he'd let her change it. He shifted their hands close to his face again, experimentally. She said nothing.

"I think that might have something to do with you, Lady Luck," Cat Noir said. He kissed her hand quickly.

"You think so? In that case-" she cleared her throat and addressed the sky- "I wish we could see more stars."

A streak of light sailed through the sky. Ladybug oohed as it passed, and Cat Noir pretended to snatch it out of the sky, then closed his fist tightly around it.

"Your wish is my command," he said, opening his hand in front of her face.

She giggled, a lovely sound. "Why, thank you!" She plucked nothing off of his palm and held it up to admire it. "It's beautiful!"

_She kind of wants me to. _

"Almost as beautiful as you."

"Shameless flirt." Ladybug nudged his shoulder with hers.

"Only with you."

Instead of brushing him off, she hummed, and went back to admiring the sky.

_So... she wants me to? _

"If your wish doesn't work, I promise to get you more stars," he said.

"I'd like to see you try."

"Oh, a challenge! You wish to test my love for you? So be it."

Ladybug pursed her lips at the word "love."

"So do you want me to do this or not?" He kissed her hand again, letting his lips linger over her this time.

She shifted uncomfortably, but her grip on his fingers tightened. "I haven't decided."

"I think you want me to." He kissed her fingertips. One by one.

"I just said I didn't know yet!"

"Then why haven't you asked me to stop? If the answer was no, you would have told me so a long time ago." He emphasized his point with a kiss on her palm, then met her eyes, daring her to push him away. She just stared back.

Where there had once been doubt and confusion in Cat Noir's mind, there was now growing certainty and joy. "You're falling for me," he whispered. "Deny it."

"Kitty-"

"Deny it." He waited ten pounding heartbeats in her silence, then asked, "You can't, can you?"

She shook her head, eyes closed.

Had he ever known happiness before this moment? Every other good thing that had ever happened to him faded next to the euphoria that little movement caused. "I promise I'll be there to catch you."

"I still don't know. I... I can't give you an answer yet."

"So don't." He'd been waiting for so long. He could wait a little longer, if that's what she needed. "But know I'll be here for you, whatever you decide."

* * *

_Author's note: You would not believe how bad this and the previous chapter were before I fixed them. They were so bad. Like, embarrassingly bad. But as the saying goes, "There is no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting," so I guess that's okay. Anyway, this chapter should be the last of the short-chapter-that-should-actually-be-one-scene chapters. Almost every one after this will be a normal length, I think. So tune in next week to read about Marinette brushing her hair! Very exciting._


	18. Masks

Chapter 18 – Masks

"It's not a patrol night, Marinette," Tikki said.

"Cat Noir says he has something for me." Marinette wondered what it could be. Her hand had felt warm since last night, and she couldn't shake the feeling of what it had been like to have his lips all over it. She shivered, then turned to her mirror. Outside of her bedroom, everything was quiet. Her parents had already gone to bed, and the rest of the city sounded like it was asleep. Marinette, on the other hand, couldn't have been more awake.

"So why are you brushing your hair?"

"I don't want it to look like something lives in it. Like... like a nest."

"Ooh! You want to look nice for Cat Noir, don't you?"

"NO." She yanked, pulling on a tangle painfully. "I brush my hair all the time! It's going to get messed up anyway. Because- With all the wind, and-" _And he already thinks I'm beautiful. _"He has nothing to do with this!"

She slammed her hairbrush down on the stack of Adrien's pictures she'd pulled off her wall a few hours before. The pile slipped and spilled onto the floor. "Sorry, sorry! Ah! I'm so sorry, Adrien." It had taken most of the afternoon to decide which pictures to take down, and there were still plenty of them up, but... she'd needed more room for all the pictures of Cat Noir. There were just too many good ones of him. She'd had a hard time choosing.

No matter what she said to Tikki, Marinette couldn't deny the obvious truth of what was happening. As she shuffled Adrien's pictures and stacked them up neatly, she had to admit that Cat Noir had been right last night. She was falling for him, with no end in sight, and she wanted to keep falling forever. Adrien's pictures were tucked quietly into a drawer.

"I'm just... still not sure if I'm ready. Dating as superheroes would be so complicated, the city's safety depends on us, and-" She motioned to the many pictures of Adrien that remained around her room. She still had feelings for him.

Tikki's antennae wiggled, the way they always did when the kwami was holding back information.

"Never mind our identities!" Marinette continued. "There's so many problems that could come from sharing those! And we'd have to share them." If they got together, she _would _tell him who she was. It would be horrible to only be with him for part of her life. She wanted him all the time.

"So share identities," Tikki said.

"It's not that simple!" Marinette said, turning back to the mirror. Her hair was a probably a lost cause, but she tried to tie it up nicely anyway.

"It could be that simple," Tikki said. "Either way, you need to decide soon."

Marinette agreed. It was wrong to keep giving him hope if it turned out to be false. Stop it now, or choose him. She wasn't sure which option she wanted to take. Both sounded scary.

"Say... say I did choose Cat Noir," Marinette said. "What would happen? Just out of curiosity."

Tikki flitted around Marinette's head, tucking in loose strands of hair before stopping in front of her face to look her in the eye. "Then I think you would both be very happy."

* * *

The night was unseasonably warm, and a thick fog had rolled in. Combined with the dark night, it was difficult to pick out her partner until she almost swung past him. That suited Ladybug just fine. They'd have more privacy.

As usual, Cat Noir was waiting for her when she reached their meeting point. This time, he had chosen the Pons des Arts, the Lovelock Bridge. She didn't miss the implication, and she found that she didn't mind it either. Water lapped peacefully below them, and the dampness, fog and late hour ensured they were alone. After she dropped down next to him, she realized Cat Noir had his hands behind his back.

"You look nice."

"Thanks," Ladybug said. Unsure if she should keep her distance or stand closer to him like she wanted to, she compromised by leaning against the railing and shuffling her feet. "You know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think you got me something just so you'd have an excuse to see me again."

He smiled. "Purr-haps."

"Oh, please, don't start with those."

Instead of _pun-_ishing her further, he looked above them, Ladybug following his gaze. The flog blocked out the sky. A dull smudge was the only evidence of the moon.

"No stars," he said. "So I think I have a promise to keep." With a sweeping bow, he knelt and brought out a small, white jewelry box from behind his back and presented it to her. Ladybug couldn't help the coy smile that spread across her face as she reached for it, and was grateful that the night hid the color that was slowly pooling in her cheeks.

Tissue paper crinkled as she lifted the lid and peeked inside, and Cat Noir said, "I told you I would get you more stars. Now you can see them all the time. Plus, it matches your eyes." Inside was necklace, a spherical pendant on a thin chain. Cat Noir reached over and pulled it out, holding it up for her so she could get a better look.

She squinted at it. In the darkness, the dangling pendant looked black, barely distinguishable from the surrounding night.

"Oh, sorry," Cat Noir said, pulling out his baton and using the screen for a flashlight. "I forgot you don't have magical eyesight. Here." The necklace swung and arced into the light and with a flash was illuminated.

The glass sphere blazed bright blue and sparkled. He hadn't just given her stars, he'd given her a whole galaxy. Tiny planets swirled, carving avenues through stellar star dust, while pinpricks of light sparkled. It was a whirlpool of life, blue, purple, black, all burning and tumbling and dancing together. It was fixed in a small marble of glass, and yet it seemed to be growing and spinning as she stared.

"Thank you," she whispered, awed. "It's beautiful." What an understatement, but she couldn't think of anything to say that would do it justice.

The glow vanished suddenly as he moved the necklace out of the light to give it to her, but she put up a hand to stop him.

"What?" he asked.

There was no way she'd be able to do up the clasp behind her neck on the first try, and she'd rather not look like an idiot just now. Not in front of him.

"Help me put it on?" And she turned around without waiting for his answer.

It was a mistake.

She knew it as soon as he pulled her hair away from her neck, his claws grazing over her bare skin. She shivered as she felt her self fall in love just a little bit deeper, just a little bit closer to the precipice of choosing him.

Standing there quietly as he adjusted the necklace and fiddled with the clasp, she weighed her options. She should leave now. Before she got them both into trouble.

Before she changed her mind.

Before she chose to stay.

"Done," he said.

Ladybug took her time turning around, staring at the pendant resting just below her collarbone instead of looking at him and betraying how much his simple touch had affected her. But when he cleared his throat, she instinctively looked up.

Try though she had to hide her feelings, he saw them. His eyes softened, and she could see the tiniest bit of a blush around the edges of his mask. Was she staring at him? Was that weird? Had they been looking at each other too long? Maybe. And she didn't care.

Taking a step closer, Cat Noir reached forward and cupped her face even more tenderly than he had put on the necklace. Like she was fragile, precious, forbidden.

For the first time that night, Ladybug stopped thinking. Her hand floated up to his cheek in echo of his movement, and her fingers caressed the edge of his mask, then slipped underneath. He wanted her to know.

As he leaned in, her finger lifted the mask further. Two sets of eyes closed. His lips ghosted over hers, as gently as a breath, soft and timid and sweet.

_Is this what choosing him feels like?_

Ladybug's brain re-engaged, her fears stuttering back to life, and her lips skimmed over his skin, away from his dangerous mouth and landed her kiss on his cheek. "S-sorry," she whispered into his hair.

He wilted against her before quickly pulling his disappointment and his head away from her. The edge of his mask fell back into place as her fingers slipped down, clenched at her sides, and she felt her own pangs of disappointment. Ladybug couldn't bring herself to step away, but he made no move to either, so they stayed there, chest to chest, Ladybug staring at a point on shoulder, both waiting for the other to move.

She was stuck. Undecided.

Who was he? She had almost kissed him.

She couldn't unmask him. She _wanted _to kiss him.

She wanted to stay and kiss away all his sadness, all the memories of being ignored, everyone one his problems. But she couldn't.

She still liked someone else. She hadn't decided. She couldn't unmask him. They had responsibilities. The city had to come before either of them.

All these arguments seemed little in comparison to the pounding of her heart, or the way he held her. He kept one hand in her hair, the other around her waist, and she could feel it trembling slightly, like he was trying to pull her closer and make himself let her go at the same time. Last night in the leaves she had wanted it kiss him, but it had been nothing compared to this. If she just leaned back into him, she could make her decision right now. It would be so easy.

She wanted to stay, but if she didn't leave him know, she wasn't sure she ever would.

Fighting the urge to kiss his cheek a second time, Ladybug pulled away. The gap between them felt suddenly isolating, though it was only a few inches. "Sorry," she whispered to the ground, and then she ran away.

Was she hoping to hear him chasing her? Did she want him to call out her name and hold her again? Or did she really want to be alone right now? Ladybug wasn't sure. One thing she was certain of, she wasn't going to keep doing this to him. With each pounding footstep she hammered out a promise. She would take the time to decide before she spent any more time with him. No matter what, she wouldn't hurt him further.

She didn't take out her yoyo the whole way home, preferring the rhythmic beat and exertion of running and leaping. The necklace bounced against her chest, reminding her of the mistake she had just made and how much it could cost her, or more importantly, cost her partner.

Out of breath, she landed on her roof, dropped through her skylight, and released her transformation. Everything was as still and dark as she had left it, which caught her off guard. Marinette tensed, looking around for something out of place, before realizing it was her. She was what felt different, felt like everything around her should be changed, too.

"Marinette," Tikki finally said.

"I know. I know!" Marinette flopped onto her back and blinked in the darkness. The necklace hadn't disappeared with her suit. The pendant's weight was heavy on her throat. "I shouldn't have almost kissed him like that. It was wrong."

"That wasn't what I was going to say," Tikki said. She floated toward the edge of the bed and out of sight.

"Then what?" Marinette called after her.

"You wanted to stay," Tikki said. "I think it was wrong of you to leave."

Marinette sat up and took the necklace off. _So what? _she wanted to ask. _You think I should choose him? Or do you think I already have? _But she wasn't sure she was brave enough to hear the answers, so she kept those questions to herself. The pendant swung by the chain in her hand, and it pulled her attention back to problems that were less scary, ones she knew she could fix. What to do with the necklace? She occasionally ran into Cat Noir when she wasn't masked, so wearing it as a civilian was out of the question. But it was too pretty to hide away.

In a burst of inspiration, Marinette turned on the lamp next to her bed. The halo of light it cast on her wall was the perfect place, and she tacked the necklace up. The pendant glowed, casting a streak of gold-flecked blue instead of a shadow across the picture Cat Noir had sent to her of their night at the park so long ago.

Even though it was late, Marinette was too wired to sleep. Knowing she had to at least try or she'd be a zombie in the morning, she curled up beneath her blankets and stared at the decorations on her wall. Her hand wandered up to her cheek where he had held her. His touch had been so soft, almost hesitant. She hadn't expected that. Nor had she expected to find herself wishing she hadn't run away, so she would know if his kisses were as gentle as his hands.

Their next patrol was Wednesday night. With luck, there wouldn't be any akumas before then, and she'd have 48 hours to think things through.

She was not lucky.

* * *

A/N: FOR REAL, LADYBUG. JUST KISS HIM ALREADY. (Thank you for waiting for this chapter! (Like you had a choice.) Next up is Cat Noir's POV! OOooOOh!)


	19. ConfinedTrapped

Chapter 19 – Confined/Trapped

Adrien woke to a blaring siren in his ear and fell of his bed in a tangle of panic and blankets. It was just an akuma alert, he told himself, rubbing his hands over his face to wake himself up. A corner of the phone had left an indent in his cheek (because he may or may not have fallen asleep looking at pictures of Ladybug).

Reaching over to dismiss the alert, he took in only the most important bits of information. It was almost 7 a.m., Ladybug hadn't texted him today, school was delayed, because a purple monster with cannons for hands was rampaging in front of College Francoise Dupont.

He'd get to see Ladybug again already?! This was great! She almost kissed him last night! What if today was the day?!

He took the time to throw on clean clothes (just in case she asked him to reveal himself – he didn't want her to see the amazing Ladybug jammies he was wearing!), brush his teeth (because what if today was the day?!), and then text that he was on his way. He tacked a kissing emoji onto the end, before thinking better of it. That might come across as too desperate. And just because he was desperate didn't mean she should know that!

The route to the school was so ingrained that Cat Noir let his mind wander as he made his way to to the fight. Last night, Ladybug's lips had gotten so close to his that he could convince himself that they'd almost touched. She had almost kissed him two nights in a row! Focusing on the disappointment and frustration of that "almost" was tempting. He was so close, and he didn't know how to overcome what might be his last hurtle. Instead, he chose to look at the positive. Ladybug saw him as a possibility, someone she wanted to kiss, even if she wouldn't let herself yet. That was more than he would have ever thought possible until two nights ago.

Wind whipped across his face as he sliced through he air, pushing himself toward the school. What might have happened had she stayed? His imagination had been running wild ever since she'd left last night. Visions of whispered confessions, tender caresses, and kissing in the rain were extra fuel for his muscles, driving him toward the fight, toward seeing his Lady again.

When he got to the school, everything was deserted, but it was obvious why. The building and the street had dozens holes punched through them, two feet in diameter each. Shards of glass and chunks of asphalt littered the ground. That wasn't good. With a quick look toward the Dupain-Cheng bakery (he breathed a sigh of relief to see his friend's home undamaged), Cat Noir followed the trail of broken pavement.

It was easy to follow. Cars and people picked their way around the potholes as best they could, on their way to work despite the danger. Without any immediate threat, his mind automatically wandered back to Ladybug again. It was amazing that she'd spent so much time with him when all he'd done was ask. What if asking worked again? What if he asked her out on a date? Or if he could kiss her, or share his identity, or be her boyfriend, or call instead of just text?

No, those were too much. She didn't need to know how needy he really was. She wouldn't like that. He'd just ask for an official date. That was it.

The path turned at an intersection, toward the heart of the city. More people would be there, and Ladybug was probably already fighting alone, trying to protect them. He went faster.

The closer he got, the more gouges and craters he saw. A broken hydrant spewed water. Cars with dented roofs screamed their alarms. Someone whimpered nearby.

Following the sound, Cat Noir twisted his body mid-jump and landed beside a line of parked cars. They were covered in branches. The sidewalk tree next to them had been blasted apart.

Through the shattered windshield he saw a small family, a father huddling in the backseat, his arms around two small girls. Cat Noir opened the passenger door and slid in. "Hi! Everyone okay?" The younger girl looked about five, and was hugging a backpack to her tiny chest. She stopped crying when she saw him and smiled brightly.

"Kitty!"

"That's me."

The older girl was about eight, he guessed. She hadn't been crying, but she looked close. Her cheeks were splotchy and her lips trembled. "What are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be fighting that monster?"

The father looked afraid too, but it was edged with stiffness. Trying to keep his children calm. They shouldn't have to live with this.

"Oh, I was on my way over, but I think I need some help." Cat Noir leaned toward them like he was sharing a secret. "I'm kind of lost. Did you see which way the silly akuma went? I need to find it and save the day!"

"Are you gonna kick its butt?" the little one asked. She leaned forward too, eyes bright and eager, though the tears on her cheeks hadn't even dried yet.

"Definitely," he said. "Can you two help me?"

"It went that way!" the older girl said, pointing excitedly, all traces of fear gone. "Ladybug was chasing it! We saw her!"

"You did? Well, I better hurry or Ladybug might win the fight before I get there!" He shook all three of their hands before the father whispered, "Thanks."

"I'm here to help," Cat Noir said, and he climbed out of the car and launched himself in the direction the eight-year-old had pointed. Not that he'd needed the directions. The shattered pavement was a clear path.

In less than a minute, he heard the screech of twisting metal and Ladybug's yell of warning, and with another push, he was at her side as she huddled behind a smoking, overturned car. She spun toward him when she heard him land. Before he could even say hello, she dropped her gaze with a flushed smile. A good sign for him!

"The akuma is named Dodgeboy," she told his knees. "Cannon-hands, shooting dodgeballs. Something about not wanting to go to school because of gym class today."

Cat Noir peeked over the edge of the car. The akuma was hard to miss. Twice as tall and three times as thick as a normal human, all purple, and angry.

"No one ever wants me on their team!" Dodgeboy yelled to the sky. "Well, now I'm the best. Pick me!" He fired purple dodgeballs up into the air, spinning on the spot.

"I'm guessing the akuma is either in his hands or the backpack. Not sure which one." She pulled herself up next to Cat Noir to survey the scene, letting her hand rest next to his on the car's frame.

The dodgeballs crashed into the pavement in a circle around the akuma, splintering the ground with terrifying cracks.

"I feel like we should stick together on this one, since he's so dangerous," she said. "Then jump in opposite directions when he fires to confuse him."

"Ladybug." Cat Noir scooped up her hand and kissed it. "I will gladly stick by you."

Flirting while fighting was cruel. He never got to know what her response was because Dodgeboy finally saw their heads peeking up over the top of the car and fired. They both leaped over his head. The car's roof flattened into its floor as it slammed into a nearby building.

They landed on a set of wide stairs leading into an apartment complex. There wasn't any movement in the windows, and he hoped that meant the building was empty.

"That was close," Ladybug said.

"I wouldn't mind getting even closer," he said, snaking an arm around her waist.

Ladybug squeaked and pulled away, but didn't yell at him to stop like she normally would have. Another good sign for him. She threw her yoyo while Dodgeboy's back was to them, and he spun so fast he almost lost his balance, the cannon-hands making him top-heavy, and his next shots went wide, though he managed to knock Ladybug's yoyo off course.

Ladybug was right. This was a dangerous akuma. When they weren't directly in his sights, he would fire randomly, only interested in yelling to the city how no one wanted him. Whenever he saw them, he became laser-focused, firing an onslaught of stone-cracking ammunition. They were either hiding or dodging, which made fighting and capturing him difficult.

Of course, Cat Noir had to admit that he wasn't being very helpful. Like that day with Oblivio, he couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut, but this time every flirt distracted her as much as him.

When he told her that her eyes were like stars, she touched the spot where the pendant had rested. When he said she was the cat's meow, she covered her mouth too slowly to hide her smile. It was several seconds before she finally got ahold of herself enough to frown at him in warning. After a series of flips to keep herself out of harm's way, Ladybug complained, "It's too early for this."

Cat Noir took no time sliding up behind her and whispering, "I finally know how pretty you look first thing in the morning."

She slapped his arm, which he supposed he deserved.

"Are you going to help me or not?" she said. Her hands shook as she gripped her yoyo.

"Sorry, I can't. The sun is in my eyes." She turned to look at him then, confused. They were both standing in the shadow of skyscrapers. He winked. "Have I mentioned that you light up my life?"

It was his fault. Ladybug stared at him, completely unresponsive under his barrage of flirting, and she didn't turn around fast enough. Dodgeboy aimed, he fired, and Cat Noir dove forward, pulling her to him and using his baton to lift them both to safety. The akuma roared his fury at being thwarted.

They rose through the air, nose to nose, her hands around his neck, his arm around her waist, pinning her close to him. For her own safety, of course. With her face so close to his, it was easy to see her eyes find his lips. A midair kiss was not a fantasy he knew he wanted until _right then_, but she quickly rested her cheek against his, so she wouldn't be tempted. (Or so he told himself.)

She'd been too slow to react and had almost gotten in trouble for it. He should feel ashamed of himself for making this fight so much more difficult than it needed to be, but his giddiness at having such a strong effect on her drowned it out.

They touched down on a low, flat roof, far enough from the edge that Dodgeboy wouldn't see them. As soon as Ladybug regained her footing, she backed away from him. "You need to cut it out," she said. "I can't work like this."

"Cut what out?" Cat Noir asked, hands behind his back like he'd been caught stealing cookies. "I'm just happy. That's all."

"Happy," she scoffed. And then muttering to herself, "More like reveling in your victory."

"So you admit I've won your heart, huh?" He flinched at his own words, bracing himself against her inevitable rejection. That'd teach him to talk without thinking. He knew she wasn't ready to openly admit to anything.

Ladybug spun her yoyo in a large arc, hooked it to a railing across the street, and pulled the line taught, testing its hold. "Maybe." Then she swung away.

Leaning on his baton for support, Cat Noir watched her go, knees shaking. Maybe. _Maybe. _That little admission shouldn't be turning his legs to jelly. It wasn't a yes.

But it wasn't a no, either.

Feeling winded, he only gave himself to the count of three to collect himself before leaping after her. There was still an akuma to fight.

"I've decided to lay off the flirting," he announced as he dropped down next to her.

"How mature of you. I wouldn't have expected that."

Dodgeboy fired a stream of purple missiles at them, and they rolled away in opposite directions. Cat Noir called across the street to her. "It's only for the fight. I know you don't really want me to stop."

Ladybug zipped out her yoyo, tripping Dodgeboy, and giving herself a few seconds to dart across the street toward Cat Noir and drag him around the corner of a building and out of sight. "Have you noticed that he only targets us?"

"I don't hear a contradiction. You want me to lavish you with affection, don't you? You miss it already."

"He's leaving the civilians alone," she continued, pointing to a news crew gingerly picking its way around the edges of the fight and _still not contradicting him! _

"I hadn't noticed," he said. "I might be a little distracted today."

"But I'm still worried about bystanders getting hurt. We need to be careful of what's behind us when we dodge. Got it?" She poked her head around the corner to watch the monster.

"Keep aware of our surroundings. Got it. Nice observation, My Lady. I'm glad we're partners."

"STOP IT."

"That wasn't even flirting!" he yelled after her as she ran out of sight. "I was just being nice!"

"STOP BEING SO NICE."

Even with his renewed focus on the battle, it didn't go well. Dodgeboy was dangerous, and avoiding serious injury took all of his concentration.

Well, almost all of his concentration.

In between weaving and dodging, he still found the time to smile at her softly when he caught her eye, whisper compliments when they "accidentally" dodged in the same direction, and blow kisses when her back was turned. The cannon-hands were unbreakable, as far as they'd been able to tell. He suggested cataclysming them, but Ladybug insisted they should wait.

"He's trying to shield that backpack from us." She gasped for breath. "Have you noticed?" They were sheltering in a recessed doorway. It wasn't deep enough for them both, so they squeezed side by side in the corner where they could remain out of sight, and it was easy for Cat Noir to pretend she'd picked this hiding spot for that reason. She rested her face against the cool stone, eyes closed.

"You think that's where his akuma is?" he asked.

"Maybe? I think we should at least wait a little while longer before starting our timers. We don't know enough yet."

"I'd wait forever for you." A cracked flower pot had been knocked off its sill when the window had been blown out, and dirt, leaves and petals were scattered in front of their doorway. One undamaged daisy rested near his feet, so he risked grabbing it and held it out to her.

"I thought you said you were going to stop with the flirting," she said, staring at it.

"I did! I'm being honest."

Her hand trembled as she reached for it, before finally pulling back. "Thank you, but I don't have anywhere to put this."

Keeping his eyes trained on her face, making sure still welcomed his touch, he reached up behind her head and tucked the flower into her pigtail.

"It's just going to disappear as soon as I cleanse the akuma."

"So?" He tightened her pigtail, to make sure the flower was snugly in place.

"The reporters will see. It'll be all over the news."

He tightened her other pigtail, just for an excuse to keep touching her. "Do you want me to take it out?"

"No."

An earsplitting crack was the only warning they had. Chunks of stone rained down on them as they broke off from their doorway. Cat Noir reflexively pushed Ladybug against the door, shielding her head with his arms. One piece of stone caught his shoulder and he grunted in pain.

"Are you okay?"

Cat Noir blinked away tears.

Ladybug grabbed his face and repeated her question, worry lacing her words, while he kept his arms protectively over her head. The pain faded a little as she stroked her thumb over his cheek.

He wanted to say something flirty, something funny to break the tension building up between them that made him want to forget the monster, broken buildings and cracked stones, and just kiss her, but she was looking at him so openly, all of her well-maintained walls that usually kept him shut out down, and the only thing he could think to say was, "You're so beautiful."

Ladybug's eyes dropped to her feet, and he thought he might have overstepped some line, though he couldn't think of what. Why was she being quiet? It wasn't until she looked back up at him did he realize she was being bashful. He didn't realize Ladybug could even feel bashful. The smallest smile and the lightest blush crossed her face, but half a second later they were gone.

"You're a sweetheart. Why did you hide that from me for so long?" Before he could figure out what to say to that, she bounced on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek and ducked under his arm and ran toward the akuma. Well, she tried to run. Broken asphalt jutting up from the sidewalk tripped her, and she stumbled. He reached out reflexively to catch, though she was much too far away, but she didn't need the help.

She shouted, "Need to focus," and disappeared up the street. He wasn't sure he she'd been talking to him or herself.

Weighing his baton in his hand, back still sore, he willed himself to follow her, but his swirling thoughts held him in place. She called him a sweetheart. No one had ever said that about Cat Noir before. That sort of comment was always reserved for Adrien. But she liked it. She liked his sweetness, which meant she would like both sides of him. They really were made for each other!

When he returned to the fight, it was with a new desire to get the monster dealt with quickly, so he could have the time to show her just how sweet he was.

"We need to change scenery," Ladybug yelled to him over Dodgeboy's head. "These buildings are going to collapse if they're hit anymore."

"Got it. Hey Dog-boy, or whatever your name is." Cat Noir beaned him on the head with his baton. The impact vibrated all the way up to his shoulders. "Come chase the kitty!" he said, and pole vaulted himself above the street. If he could just stay overhead, Dodgeboy's attacks would be aimed upward and be less of a danger to the people and architecture. Or that was the plan, anyway.

Dodgeboy waited until Cat Noir was high above the skyline. It was Ladybug's yell that was his first sign something was wrong. At the top of his arc, he looked down and saw Dodgeboy aiming not at him, but at the bottom of the baton. Cat Noir's stomach lurched as it was knocked out from under him and he plummeted toward the jagged slabs of pavement. Ladybug caught him in midair, her flower fluttering to the ground.

"My Lady," he puffed when his feet touched down. Where had his baton gotten to? "I owe you my life. How do you want me to repay you?"

"Run."

"That's a weird request," he said, still looking around for his weapon. "I was hoping you'd want a kiss."

"Run!"

"Wha-"

He looked up from his search just in time to keep himself from tripping as Ladybug shoved him. A purple butterfly outlined Dodgeboy's eyes, and his face twisted with pain. He'd been taking too long, and Hawk Moth was unhappy. Bad news for them. With a jolt of panic, the duo sprinted into the shadows of an alley, Dodgeboy stomping behind them.

"Any ideas on where to go?" Cat Noir asked.

"Forward," she huffed. "Away from him."

"So we're winging it?"

She didn't answer.

The alley dead ended, and he tried to make the jump, and failed. As his hands started sliding down the bricks, Ladybug caught him, flinging them over the building and into a crowd.

There were too many people in this city. Everywhere they ran or swung, cars and people screeched and screamed as the monster fired wildly. And every time she picked him up, her grunt of exertion became more pronounced. The length of the fight and his weight were wearing on her stamina.

"We should go back to the school," Cat Noir finally said. "It'll still be evacuated. Fewer people." Ladybug changed direction with a groan.

"Sorry. We can go back and grab-"

Ladybug's answer was tightening her grip on his waist and swinging them both toward the school. Her arms must have been burning with all the heavy lifting she'd had to do in the last few minutes, though he couldn't complain about being this close to her as they flew over wide buildings and even wider parking lots. She twitched, then shook, and her hold on the yoyo line slipped slightly. "I'm making an emergency landing on that roof," she said. They missed, crumpling in a heap next to four sets of glass double doors as her strength finally gave out. A mall. Cat Noir rolled off his aching back and onto his side.

"Sorry," she said, rubbing her right shoulder.

Dodgeboy landed so hard on a nearby car that he flattened it. The impact rattled through the asphalt and into his feet.

"No time to worry about it," he said, picking up her yoyo and grabbing her uninjured arm. He hated it, but there was nowhere to go but inside. People milled around on the other side of the door, hardly noticing the two heroes running past them, though they noticed Dodgeboy. Shrieks and screams echoed off tiled floors and down wide corridors behind them. Cat Noir flinched at their fear. They needed to get out of here before someone got seriously hurt.

"There," Ladybug said, diving through the wide entrance to a clothing store, Cat Noir close behind her, and Dodgeboy just a little farther behind him.

They twisted and turned up aisles, trying to lose their pursuer and find a way out. Why were these stores always so enormous? Did people really need all these clothes? Oh look, he'd modeled that shirt just last month.

The crash of a clothing rack snapped his attention back, and he started pouring his focus into tracking the monster with his enhanced hearing. Dodgeboy's pounding footsteps were growing fainter. Then they paused and shuffled, trying to decide which way to turned.

"I think he lost us."

"Here," Ladybug breathed. She grabbed his hand and confidently dragged him down and aisle and between racks of clothing. His heart started beating faster in a way that had nothing to do with the fight. Even lost in a mall, their lives on the line, she had a plan, and currently it involved hauling him off somewhere secret.

"I like where this is going."

She hissed at him to be quiet as she shoved him – careful not to hurt his back – into a circular rack of dresses long enough to reach the floor. Once they were hidden in the middle, she shuffled the clothing, closing the gap they'd come through.

"If you wanted get me alone, Bugaboo-"

"Will you shut up?" Her voice was so quiet he could barely pick it up, even with his magically-enhanced hearing. "Those dodgeballs can snap metal beams. I'm sure they'd have no problem breaking your ribs."

Dodgeboy stalked closer, pounding each step into the tile, cracking it. They waited as he paused, then turned in another direction, only to circle back toward them, on the prowl to find them. It was only a matter of time until he did.

They were trapped.

* * *

_Author's note: Oof. So I wanted to get two chapters out this week (since chapter 20's first draft has been done for days and I missed last week), but this week has just been overwhelming. Sorry! There will definitely be at least one update next week, though._


	20. Trust

Chapter 20 – Trust

Claustrophobia was something Ladybug had never really understood. How could small, cozy places be scary? Sitting on the cold tile floor, an akuma prowling just out of sight, trapped and blinded by the rack of dresses that she was counting on to keep her safe, she thought she could learn to understand.

Space inside the circular rack was so cramped that she was wedged tightly against her partner, but she moved in even closer for comfort, resting her cheek against his shoulder as he listened. He smiled slightly. Well, she was glad someone liked being trapped here. Though, she would be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying the touch just a little.

"Okay," Cat Noir whispered. "He's moving away again."

Ladybug leaned in, massaging her sore shoulder. It still hurt a little, and not even the magical suit was enough to completely ease the pain. He'd offered to do that for her, but the glare she'd given him had shut him right up.

Though, if it was still sore later, maybe...

"What else do you hear?" she asked.

Cat Noir squinted, tilted his head to one side, and his hair fell across his forehead. She wanted to reach over and push it out of his eyes for him. Stupid boy with this stupid hair and his stupid face, making her feel stupid things in the middle of a battle.

"There's still a lot of people in here," he whispered. "They're mostly tiptoeing around the edges, trying to get out." He lowered his voice even further. "Akuma's coming back around. No, wait. He's going to the back of the store. More people outside. They're talking. I don't think they know what's going on... And I can hear my heart."

"Your..."

He cracked one eye open at her. "Which is beating only for you."

Ladybug's mouth fell open, but just as quickly she snapped it shut and pretended to be interested in the blue empire waist next to her. "Stop being so cute."

Ever contrary, Cat Noir grabbed her hand and kissed it. "Can't. Sorry. The cuteness is a feature." He didn't let go, but neither did she.

"I think it's a bug. I would know."

"Did you just pun?"

"Me? In the middle of a battle? Never."

Chuckling, he asked, "Should we use Lucky Charm?" and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. It was very distracting, though she wasn't about to tell him that.

Staring at the dress like it would help clear her mind, she said, "I'd rather not use it to escape. We'll probably need it later to fight."

They waited in silence for a few more seconds. The dresses rustled as someone brushed past their rack. Ladybug turned to her partner, who gave her a thumbs up. Nothing to worry about. Just a civilian escaping. In the back of the store, Dodgeboy grumbled about them not coming out to play his game. She could feel the distant voice rumbling in her chest.

Cat Noir squeezed her hand tighter. "I have an idea to get out of here, but you're gonna hate it."

"I'll consider _any_ plan right now." They'd been fighting for ages and ideas were slow coming with him rubbing relaxing circles into her back of her hand. The sensible thing would be to ask him to stop. She did not do the sensible thing.

"Well," he began slowly, "we can try to... blend in with the crowd. You know, just walk out with all the other civilians."

"I think the akuma would notice us pretty easily. Our suits are-"

"No, I mean... detransform first. We're just two kids. No one will look twice at us trying to escape."

Detransform? Right now?

"You're right," she said. "I hate it. But I..." She looked down at their still-joined hands. The circles he was rubbing weren't intended to be relaxing, she realized; they were supposed to be consoling. Her heart pounded painfully, spreading panic with each beat. She wasn't ready. "I don't have any better ideas," she whispered, hating how afraid she sounded.

"Hey." Slipping one knuckle under her chin, he lifted her face up to his. The space was so small that their noses almost brushed together. His eyes were so full of concern and adoration that she leaned toward him involuntarily. Mostly involuntarily.

"This is just to escape, and once we're back outside we'll get back in the suits." He kept his voice low, drawing her in. "I promise I won't look. Do... do you trust me?"

"Yes," she breathed.

"Thank you." He kissed her forehead, then cocked his head, listening again. "His footsteps are far enough away. I don't hear anyone else nearby. No one will see us if we go now."

Ladybug nodded and unfolded herself from her crouch, joints stiff from sitting on the floor for so long. Forcing herself to let go of his hand (which was harder than she expected), she slipped out of the clothing rack. Immediately, she felt too exposed and crossed her arms in front of herself, knowing the sensation was about to get worse.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Never," she said. "Let's do it."

Looking straight ahead, they both released their transformations, hid their kwamis, and walked toward the nearest exit sign. The boy who was not Cat Noir padded quietly to her right, his bare forearm occasionally brushing against her own. It was strange to realize she'd never actually touched his arm before. Or his hands.

Another thing Marinette had never realized was how many mirrors clothing stores had. They covered every pillar, capped the end of every aisle. Even the metal clothing racks and glass cases of jewelry were reflective enough for her to see herself. It would be so easy to glance in any direction and see her partner's face accidentally. The temptation was very, very pressing, so she kept her eyes trained upward, on the exit sign.

By the third time their arms brushed together, they'd safely left the store and were back in the mall's wide hallway, and she'd come to the conclusion that the touches were definitely not accidental. This was proven true a few seconds later when he caught her hand and laced their fingers together.

"A couple would draw less attention," he explained.

"This is completely unnecessary," she hissed. "We looked fine the way we were." No one was looking at them. The itch between her shoulder blades continually warned her that they about to be discovered, but it looked like Dodgeboy had lost them, as well.

Despite the validity of her arguments, Marinette's free hand found the crook of his elbow. Fabric bunched under her fingers.

"Unnecessary..." Not Cat Noir said. "Get your hand off my arm then."

"No."

There were plenty of people in the hallways, though much fewer than there had been before. Faces peeked out of shop entrances and through wide glass panes. Dodgeboy and his craters were nowhere to be seen. That should have been reassuring – it meant they were escaping safely – but Marinette was a little unsettled because it also meant they didn't know where he was.

"So the backpack," she said. "I think we need to get that off him."

"Which means we're either going to create one captivating distraction or we'll need to get him stuck somewhere."

"That'll come down to the Lucky Charm I get," Marinette said. "But I think getting him trapped might be easier."

"Agreed. There's enough debris outside to work with, plus it'll neutralize his guns."

While they were outlining a plan and making their way to the closest exit, Marinette's hand roamed up his arm, coming to rest on his bicep, and she hoped he didn't notice. It was either an attempt to walk closer to him or... something else that she didn't want to name. She wasn't sure which.

"Speaking of guns," Not Cat Noir said. Fabric went taught as his arm bulged. "Like what you feel?"

Okay, it definitely wasn't THAT. Marinette had to focus on keeping her footsteps even for a few seconds to refocus her brain. Then, to punish him for noticing, she ignored his question and started obviously exploring the muscle, drawing circles and dragging her fingers over the lines of his shirt until he tripped.

"Ha," she said. "Who's making who flustered now, Kitty?"

"P-please. I'm trying not to die, here."

She wasn't sure if the danger was the akuma or her hands. "Oh, so when I tell you not to goof off with puns and flirts in the middle of a battle, now you know how it feels." She gave him an extra tight squeeze.

"Can we focus, please?"

"I'm trying to distract you." She did it again, feeding the happy feeling that curled from her heart all the way down to her toes.

"You- I- You-" He picked up their pace, shop windows sliding past them in his haste to escape her teasing. They turned a corner to see a bright rectangle of sunlight at the end of the hallway. An emergency exit. He walked even faster.

"Imagine what this would be like if your sleeves were even shorter." She hummed, sliding her hand from his shoulder down to his elbow and feeling him shiver.

"Wh-Why don't you distract me later?" he said, lowering his voice. Marinette thought his attempt to sound alluring and back in control of the conversation was adorable in its absurdity. The wobble in his voice and his need to escape told her he had no idea what he was doing, but he kept trying. "I can think of some good distractions," he said. "Wink wink."

"Did you just narrate your wink?"

"Well, I know you're not looking at my face."

Cat Noir practically punched the door open, cracking against the outside wall and setting off an alarm. Marinette blinked in the sunlight, still hanging onto his arm. Turning her face carefully away from him, she surveyed her half of the parking lot.

"I can't see anyone. You?"

"No one," he said.

"Okay. I guess we should get back to work, then. Playtime's over."

"Oh, thank goodness, claws out!"

Plagg cackled at them as he was sucked into the ring.

Marinette giggled. "Am I too much for you to handle?" She glanced at his face. Mask already back in place, Cat Noir was looking away from her – like she knew he would be – and was violently blushing. She laughed at his discomfort and at the power of his suit that tickled her palms as he transformed. "Spots on."

"Got your baton back?"

"Right here," he said, pulling it out with his free hand. "That's a relief."

"First thing's first, we need to find Dodgeboy before he gets into trouble," Ladybug said, slowly peeling her hands off him.

"Wait." His interlaced fingers squeezed hers before she could get away, and she paused. He still hadn't turned to look at her yet. "Would you..." he asked the air in front of him. "Would you be interested in going on a date with me?"

A punch in the gut couldn't have left Ladybug more winded. All the happiness their teasing and flirting had created evaporated.

She hadn't had time to make her choice. She wasn't ready for this question yet, and she kicked herself for not seeing that she'd been inviting it.

She hadn't been silent for two seconds before Cat Noir said, "It's fine. You don't want to. I get it. It's okay."

"It's not that," she said slowly. "I just... haven't decided what I want yet. I don't want to string you along."

Cat Noir turned to her, hope blazing in his eyes. "So don't decide yet. I just want to spend time with you. That's all. Just a date? I won't ask for anything else until you've made up your mind."

But that _wasn't _all. What about Adrien?

_Well,_ she thought,_ what about him? _

Cat Noir's eyes were wide and earnest, and she loved him so much. A date sounded wonderful. No patrols, no akumas, a chance for him to dedicate time just to her, for them to be together.

Hands still linked, Cat Noir waited patiently before finally breaking the silence. "We can stay in our masks. No revealing identities yet, if that's what you want."

What was the harm in it? As long as he understood it was _just _one date, as long as he would give her the distance and time afterward to make her final decision.

"I... I'd like that," she said. "I'd really like that."

His cat ears perked up. "Friday?"

"Sure. I'm free all evening. We'll talk about it later, though. Akuma."

"Right," he said, letting go of her hand at last and turning away, and she thought he heard him whisper, "It worked again!"

Cold wind blew in the threat of a storm as they circled the building and found a crowd of civilians on the other side, pouring through the doors to escape the fire alarm. Dodgeboy was there too, both cannon-hands train on the largest door, waiting for them.

"Hey, Dog-breath! There's more than one door!" Cat Noir bounded over the akuma's head, and the crowd below cheered. "Too late to ambush us! You'll have to _cat-_ch us!"

"Head toward the school," Ladybug said, throwing out her yoyo.

They twisted away from each other, frigid wind whipping at their faces and muting Dodgeboy's roars.

"What's the plan, My Lady?"

"Working on it."

But she wasn't working on it. Her mind was compiling every action she'd taken in the last week, laying it out plainly for her for the first time. The smiles, the flirting, the texts, all the times she'd wished she could be near him, and now agreeing to a date.

She'd promised herself she would either stop or choose him. She wasn't stopping so...

Did this mean she was choosing him?

* * *

_Author's note: Don't let the happiness fool you. The angst chapters are imminent._


	21. Sacrifice

Chapter 21 – Sacrifice

Zipping through the air, Cat Noir and Ladybug raced toward the school. He had a strong suspicion she was _lying_ to him about something. She had claimed she need to quiet time to "think up a super amazing plan." Really, he thought, she just wanted him to shut up for a few minutes.

The face she was making as they cut across roofs and up avenues was not her "savior of Paris always saves the day" face. Her chin jutted out when she made that face. And it wasn't her "coming up with a master plan" face either. Not enough nose scrunch.

Instead, emotions like bewilderment, happiness, and doubt flashed across her face, only to be wiped away repeatedly as she tried to focus on coming up with a plan. Well, if it was quiet the lady wanted, that was what he was going to give her.

For now.

"I'm going to wait as long as possible before calling you," Ladybug said a few minutes later.

Call him? What was she talking about? The school was in view, and they nimbly landed on the roof. "I've got a feeling that catching him is going to take a while. Can you buy me some time?"

A few dozen civilians ambled around the red and white police tape and the large holes in the building. Some were trying to clean up the debris, while others looked like students who had already been dropped off for school when the attack had started and nowhere else to go. Their parents' work was not called off for something as commonplace as an akuma anymore.

"So we're definitely not doing a distraction?" Cat Noir asked. "Wouldn't he just blast apart whatever you-"

"No, that's the beauty of my idea," she said, eyes shining. "We're going to need to get inside and get these people out of here. I need you to give me ten minutes, then lead Dodgeboy to the art room."

"You want us to split up?" he asked, alarm bells going off. Hadn't she wanted to stick together? Did she not want him around anymore? "What if you need backup and I'm not there?"

"If he comes too early, I'm not going to have time to set the trap." She waved at the street full of students. "And the kids need to be away from danger.

"But-"

"We don't have time to discuss this. I need you to give me time. There's no other way."

"All right. All right." He put up his hands to show a surrender that he didn't feel. "But I want it on my permanent record that I super hate this idea."

"Duly noted." She flicked his bell. "I want everyone within the block out of here, just in case. Stay out of sight until I give you the signal that I'm ready. He's less likely to attack innocents if he can't see you." She turned to point at east side of the building. "The art room is over there on the second floor-"

"Wooden door, blue window. I know."

They stared at each other for less than a second before Ladybug asked, "How-"

"Not important," he said, pushing away the same question. _How did she know? _"Let's go."

Ladybug slipped through a third-floor window, which was directly above the art room, he noticed. How did she know that window was almost always unlocked? She didn't want him to know any specifics about her life, so he turned away and pretended like that wasn't a huge clue.

Cat Noir bounded over the edge of the building, slid down the wall (ninja-style) and started herding students off the street, always waiting for the distant roar of the akuma.

He didn't need to wait long. A grumbling soon became a despairing wail about exclusion. And Cat Noir took that as his cue to s-_cat_. Had he used that one on Ladybug yet? He'd have to remember to work that into their next conversation.

The shadows and alleys sheltered him as the pounding footsteps grew louder. He'd picked a hiding spot in a shadowed corner where he thought he'd be able to see Dodgeboy's approach. But something was wrong. The footsteps were spaced out and uneven. They changed location rapidly, varying in their force, as if Dodgeboy was bouncing from one building to the next, instead of running like he'd done for the entire fight. He couldn't jump that way, could he? And why were they so far apart? It sounded as if he were several places at once. Cat Noir's blood froze in his veins. Or as if Dodgeboy had made copies of himself.

Ladybug had told him to stay out of sight, but if they were dealing with a new power, he needed to know. Now. Looking both ways to make sure it was safe, Cat Noir slipped out of the cool safety of the shadows and vaulted down the street into the morning sunshine.

The noises were hard to pinpoint, which made them hard to follow. Crashes echoed through the streets and mixed with the sounds of the city, disorienting his enhanced hearing, until he had to stop on a high-rise roof to get a better look. Still nothing. He pushed on, getting farther and farther from the school as he followed the noises. The alarm bells in his head started to ring again, but he he told them he had to do this. Ladybug could take care of herself, he reasoned. This needed to be checked out now.

But two minutes and a dozen blocks later, Cat Noir still couldn't see anything and he began to worry. Images of many smaller Dodgeboys became images of many smaller invisible Dodgeboys, and Cat Noir wondered if he should abandon his search and run back to warn Ladybug, even though she hadn't called him. What if the invisible buggers followed him? He wouldn't be able to tell. They would ruin Ladybug's trap if he went back now, and the two of them would have to retreat and regroup.

A blur of movement in the corner of his vision caused Cat Noir to turn just in time to see a purple dodgeball arc through the air before disappearing behind and building to his right. The ball crashed and breaks squealed as a car swerved to avoid it. A second dodgeball sailed through the air to his left, landing on an adjacent street. Not many little Dodgeboys. A diversion. Cat Noir had been tricked.

"Those were coming from..."

The school. Dodgeboy was heading toward the school, was between Cat Noir and Ladybug, and had a huge head start. She needed him, and he wasn't there. He wasn't there!

Cat Noir flung himself through the air, knowing how dangerous it was to be out in the open and not caring if Dodgeboy saw him. He had to save Ladybug.

Ladybug. Ladybug.

Her name beat through his brain with every jump and swing. He had to fix his mistake. His Lady needed him.

He was leaving himself open to attack, traveling exposed like this. If he caught up with Dodgeboy, he'd be fighting a monster who could target him, and he'd be without backup. This was a dangerous thing he was doing.

But he would be willing to sacrifice his safety and more if it meant Ladybug would be okay. She was the important one. He was secondary.

When Dodgeboy stopped firing decoys, Cat Noir's heartbeat, already pounding from his race back to the school, spiked. No more decoys meant the akuma didn't need the distraction anymore. Just a few more seconds and Cat Noir would be there, but did he even have that?

The roof of the school appeared between the gaps in the buildings, and then the back of a large purple person on the next building, aiming his cannon directly through the art room window. A flash of red moved around inside the room. Red with black spots. Dodgeboy raised both arms to aim.

"Hey!" Cat Noir yelled, desperate to draw the akuma's attention. He leaped and reached. Dodgeboy's shots were knocked off course as the baton collided with his head, and the akuma himself toppled as Cat Noir bodyslammed him from behind. They pitched forward and crashed into the side of the building, taking out a chunk of wall, but missing the art room, and landing in a heap on the ground.

Before either of them could recover completely, Cat Noir swung again, knocking the akuma off his feet. Ladybug still needed time. Then again, forcing him to retreat up the street. The situation could still be saved. Again, tripping him as he ran away.

As Dodgeboy twisted and aimed at him, Cat Noir swung again, but the akuma was ready for him this time. The shots only missed their target by inches. A high-pitched whistle sang right next to his ear.

It was a difficult game Cat Noir played, keeping the akuma occupied. Ladybug hadn't called him, so they danced circles around the school, trying to keep each other right where they wanted them.

What on earth was she doing? Probably something brilliant. She was always brilliant, though. Extra brilliant? That sounded like a cheesy compliment.

He tried to stay focused on the fight, to keep Dodgeboy busy, but his thoughts anxiously spun to what was taking her so long, and settled on her. Whatever she was doing would work. It always did. And she was trying to make a trap without Lucky Charm too, which was bold and daring. Maybe he should tell her that when-

It happened in an instant. One moment, he was twisting safely out of danger, then next, he was staring down the barrel of a cannon, knowing that he couldn't flip out of his arc fast enough. Smoky discharge billowed from Dodgeboy's elbow, recoil pushed his shoulder back. In slow motion, a purple dodgeball emerged from the shadow of the barrel, spinning toward him.

He tried to move, tried to curve into a new trajectory, but the dodgeball hit him in the chest, pushing him back, crushing him into the school wall.

It didn't hurt at first, just squeezed the air out of his lungs, and for a merciful second he thought his suit had saved him.

The force of the shot pinned him in place against the side of the building for only a moment. Then gravity started to drag him down, scraping him against the bricks, and he felt it. His skin, his lungs, no his bones hurt. There was no feeling anywhere else in his body as he fell, collapsing to the ground, just his burning chest. He landed on his side, gasping, though every breath felt like a knife ripping him open.

His head thrashed in an attempt to separate himself from the pain. Distantly, he realized that he couldn't see the akuma anymore, and that was probably bad.

Ladybug. He could go after Ladybug. Thoughts of her cleared his mind. He had to help his Lady, and so he forced himself to think. To breathe.

It should have been worse, he knew. There wasn't a hole punched straight through him. He was still breathing. His limbs still worked. The pain was lessening already. He might even be able to move.

Eventually.

His baton buzzed next to his foot with an incoming call. He hadn't even realized it had clattered next to him.

Groaning, he kicked at it until it rolled within reach. The camera pointed at the sky, and away from him.

"Hey," he said, trying to hide his gasp. His voice sounded too strained already, and he'd only said one word.

"I'm rea- Are you okay?"

"Oh, I-" He coughed, then rubbed his eyes to try to clear his head of pain. "I'm okay. Resting." He needed a break. He needed to get up. They needed to regroup. But she was counting on him. She needed him. "I got the akuma right where I want him," he said, voice measured. He needed her to know she could count on him, or she wouldn't trust him to do his job. She wouldn't trust him. "Aren't I the best partner?"

"Are you hurt?!"

He wouldn't be a burden to her. Not a disappointment. He would fight anything for her. He could fight this. Just another sacrifice he was willing to make to keep her love.

"I'm fine! Really, I just tripped." He fought a wave of pain, sharp and burning but less severe than the others that had come before. A good sign. "I'll bring him over."

"But-"

He cut off the call by kicking at the baton. It skidded until it hit the base of the wall. Cat Noir counted slowly, letting himself succumb to the searing agony in his chest. When he reached ten, he put a shaky palm on the pavement, then the other, and gingerly pushed himself up. If he kept his back straight, it didn't hurt too much. The strength and stamina the suit gave him would have to be enough to finish the job. He could last until Ladybug used her cure.

He could keep going.

For her.

* * *

_Author's note: To all those who waited so long for this chapter: WHY? Why did you want me to hurt our boy this way?!_

_P.S. I take no responsibility for my narrative choices. It's not my fault! I'm just following the prompts! 😭_

_P.P.S. Hi. It's been ages. How have you been?_

_P.P.P.S. There'll be at least two chapters posted next week as an apology for me being distracted and lazy, and because I apparently need external deadlines in order to function, and also because the next bunch of chapters are very short._


	22. Quarrel

Each shuffling step Cat Noir took was painful, but it was getting easier. With his baton for a cane and shallow breaths, he could almost trick himself into believing that lying to Ladybug had been a good idea. He'd tell her after he was healed what had really happened, and she'd get upset that he got hurt, and he'd bask in her adorable annoyed pout and the concern for his safety that would pour off of her in waves. And maybe tomorrow he'd even be able to laugh about the whole thing.

The hot stabs of pain in his chest dulled into throbs that seemed to pulse through his whole body as he came around the corner to the front of the school, but he could manage. Dodgeboy was there, and Cat Noir was happy to see him. No hunting down his prey.

Stairs, though. Stairs might kill him. Dodgeboy pounded after him as Cat Noir stumbled up the front steps and into the deserted courtyard. The akuma's bulk made it hard for him to navigate through the small doors, which Cat Noir was grateful for. It turned his small head start into a medium-sized lead.

"Come get me," he said weakly as he stared at the full flight of stairs that ran from the courtyard to the second floor. There was no way that was happening. Hanging on with a strength that he hoped would be enough, he pushed a button on his baton and lifted himself into the air. His fingers slipped only a little before he swung his legs over the railing.

He wasn't far from the art room. All he had to do was turned down one more corner and make sure Dodgeboy saw him go inside. That would be the easy part. Hiding his injuries from Ladybug's keen eye for detail would be more difficult.

He knocked on the slightly ajar door as loudly as he could, which wasn't very, then cracked it open further, wide enough that he could slip inside without disturbing his Lady's plan.

Yarn of every color crisscrossed the room, hanging off of easels and chairs, taped to the wall and looped over sculptures. Straightening so she wouldn't know anything was wrong, he tried to walk normally, following the trails of yarn right to Ladybug, who was stationed in the far corner of the room, holding two-fistfuls of colorful strands and already looking triumphant.

"He's right behind me," Cat Noir said, weaving his way through the trap, careful not to touch anything. He twisted to duck around a white strand that he hadn't noticed, and the pain in his chest flared, making him stumble.

"Are you okay?" Ladybug asked, face scrunched, but he couldn't tell if it was concern or scrutiny.

"Fine, fine," he said, fighting to make his voice even and his back a little taller. The effort was making his legs shake, and he gripped the baton harder to have something to hold on to.

"Really? Because it sounds like-

Splinters of wooden frame shattered as Dodgeboy crashed through the door, pausing only a second to take in the state of the room before barreling straight for them in the back corner. Yarn caught around his arms and legs as he waded through the room. Ladybug yanked, and the strands Dodgeboy had pulled loose snapped tightly around him. When he realized what was happening, he tried knocking the yarn aside and shot a few dodgeballs, though they sailed through the gaps and punched holes in the wall. He whirled on the spot, trying to free himself, but only making it worse. Ladybug leaned back, tightening the trap even more. Dodgeboy's hands were soon pinned to his sides, pointing at his own feet. She'd calculated this trap perfectly, as usual.

"Get the backpack," she said through gritted teeth. "Quick! Cataclysm!"

He should have watched where he was going. He shouldn't have walked so quickly. He shouldn't have summoned his power until he was close enough to touch the backpack. But he didn't.

A string he hadn't noticed caught him by the knee, and the force of his momentum was too much for his weak body to stop. As he fell, his hand brushed several strands of yarn, which disintegrated and let Dodgeboy's bonds loosen, though Cat Noir barely noticed. His senses twisted with pain, and he fell.

"Cat Noir!"

He yelled, "Fine!" instead of yelling out in pain as he pushed himself back up to his feet. It seemed like all the pain he should have felt over the last minutes rushed him at once, but it was almost over. His claws could still do the job. As soon as the object was destroyed he would be healed.

"I can't hold him!" Ladybug's warning caught what little of his attention he could spare.

Dodgeboy was twisting, pulling an arm free, raking it through the yarn and severing the strands. They fell to the ground, littering the floor like spaghetti.

"Lucky Charm!"

Cat Noir turned and watched as a giant fork landed in her hands, as tall and wide as she was. She hesitated only an instant before plunging the tines into the wad of loose string at her feet and twisting. Slack disappeared as she twirled. Dodgeboy was contained, but the trap was weak. He had to act now.

"I'll get the backpack," he said.

"No!" She walked forward, spinning the fork as she went to keep up the tension. "I'll get it. You take this."

The fork was heavy in his hands as she darted forward to finish the job without him. Because she didn't trust him to get the backpack; he'd messed up too badly. If he wanted her to trust him again, he had to hold himself and the trap together for just a few more seconds.

She dipped and swerved through her trap, while Dodgeboy held perfectly still. His eyes weren't on the threat inching closer. They were on Cat Noir, seeing the him for the weak link that he was. Ladybug was only a few inches from grabbing the backpack when the akuma took a deep breath and _pulled. _In one giant step, he yanked on the trap, toppling everything: yarn, chairs, easels, and Cat Noir, who didn't have the strength to hold himself up against the force and tumbled forward again, landing directly on his chest. The fork pulled out of his hands and the yarn unraveled as he gasped for breath, watched through watering eyes, and did nothing. He couldn't... His bones... All he could do was breathe and hope it would be over soon.

Ladybug tried to grab strands of yarn as they flew past her, tried to save the ambush attempt, but they slipped through her fingers as the akuma escaped out the door. Cat Noir heard the pounding of Dodgeboy's fading footsteps through the haze of his agony. He tried to roll over, take the pressure off, but it wasn't until Ladybug came over and helped him that he was able to do it. His hands cradled his chest in a vain effort to protect himself.

Something shocked his attention away from his wounds. Ladybug was frowning, but it wasn't an annoyed pout. He'd never seen her looking so furious.

"You lied to me," she said. "You told me you were okay."

When he tried to get up she pushed over his heart to keep him down, and she gasped at his flinch. The horror on her face twisted back into a frown almost instantaneously, though her hand became feather-light. "You've been messing around all day. I told you you'd get yourself hurt."

Pain boiled through him, pushing up bubbles of anger. It was completely unfair that she was blaming him when he was the one who hurt! "I was trying to do my job!" he snapped, teeth gritted. "I was the one who said we shouldn't split up!" _Why am I getting yelled at? Why do I ALWAYS get in trouble? _"You-"

"So this is _my _fault?! You didn't tell me you were hurt because you trying to show off how tough you are, weren't you? Why do you lie to me all the time!"

_Fine? You want me to be honest? I love you! And-_ "I've never been so angry at you!"

A quiet beep cut across their argument, silencing Ladybug. Or maybe it was his words. She rocked backward on her heels. Pulling her hand off his chest, and then standing, glaring at him the whole time.

"I'll be back. I've only got four minutes to beat this monster... W-What are you doing?"

Pushing himself up, obviously, though he didn't waste his breath. She could see. "I can still fight."

"No. You can't. I don't want OR NEED your help."

* * *

_Author's note: These chapters were so painful to write, especially this one. *cries*_


	23. Pain

Chapter 23 – Pain

For a brief second, the pain of Ladybug's words eclipsed the pain Cat Noir felt from his wounds. She didn't want or need his help. She didn't want or need him.

He tried to get up again, to show her he wan't useless, but a piercing glare pinned him to the ground. She stared down at him only long enough for him to hope she would take her words back, and then she picked up her Lucky Charm, turned her back on him, and strode through the door without another sound.

As soon as she was gone, before he could change his mind, he said, "Claws in." Excruciating pain raced through his body. It seemed to start at his heart and radiate through his veins. Gasping, panting, Adrien flopped his head around as best he could, looking for Plagg.

"I got it already, kid," he said, mouth full. A large bite was in his wedge of cheese. "Don't move."

"Hurry." The loudest voice he could muster was a whimper.

Plagg didn't stop chewing to answer.

Adrien gasped out the words, "Claws out," and Cat Noir sighed in relief as the pain eased, though he didn't move from his fetal position on the floor. He didn't have the energy. Sweat dripped off his nose and hit a loose strand of red thread, as thin as a string.

Ladybug left him. Just like everyone else always did. All of this, the pain, coming to help her, and she'd lost her faith in him anyway. He wasn't sure if he was more angry at her or just hurt that she didn't want him.

Through the window, gray clouds covered the sky. As if things weren't already bad enough, it had started snowing. Winter did seem to sneak up on him at the worst times. The roofs would be slippery. And Ladybug didn't do well in the cold. Or with slippery roofs. And she didn't think straight when she was upset.

He... he should go check on her. An image of her face danced through his mind, features contorted in outrage that he would dare to ignore her order stay out of her way. And she obviously didn't need his help.

He twisted. Now that he'd felt the extent of the damage without the suit, and now that he could properly think again because he was back in it, Cat Noir had a better picture of his injuries. His ribs were definitely bruised, probably broken. But it didn't feel like anything worse than that. He hadn't felt any blood, and he could breathe just fine.

There was no way to know if Ladybug would be so lucky. She had how much time left now? Maybe two minutes. What if Dodgeboy hit her? What if he hit her when she wasn't transformed?

Cat Noir rolled, knocking hanging bits of yarn out of his way as he crawled to the door and used the handle to pull himself up. His ribs ached, it was a struggle to even walk, never mind fight, and she was going to be furious.

But he wasn't going to let her get hurt, not as long as he had breath. Even if she hated him for it, he wouldn't let anything happen to her, so he stumbled into the hallway, into the courtyard, and vaulted into the open air, pushing himself to find her in time.

* * *

_Author's note: Who wants to know what Ladybug's thinking right now?_


	24. Rescue

Chapter 24 – Rescue

Ladybug scrambled away just before a dodgeball slammed into the roof right where her foot had just been. Hopping onto the next building, giant fork in hand, she tried to find a good place to fight, one that wasn't covered in a slick layer of slush. She needed all her concentration to win this battle, but her mind didn't want to cooperate.

Why hadn't Cat Noir just told her he was hurt? They were partners! They were friends! Weren't they? Didn't he trust her enough to tell her that he needed help? The obvious answer - that he didn't - stung.

Ladybug didn't move fast enough, and a dodgeball grazed her shoulder. Slipping on a thin coating of snow, she fell, then tumbled to the edge of the roof but caught herself with both hands. Her Lucky Charm clattered to the ground right before another volley sailed above her head. At least luck was on her side even when her partner wasn't. The fall saved her. That had almost been her head.

Dodgeboy stomped closer as Ladybug dangled from the edge, the footsteps reverberating across the roof and into her fingers. Cat Noir wasn't coming to help her out of this, so she made a risky snap decision. Dodgeboy expected her to drop to the ground to retreat, so she hurled herself upward, headbutting his chin before she leaped over him.

As her timer announced three minutes, Ladybug swerved, trying to figure out where she could lure this monster and end this quickly, then started running across the rooftops before she'd made up her mind.

Fear bubbled beneath her anger. Not fear for herself. Watching Cat Noir fall, realizing he was hurt- She'd never been so afraid in her life, never felt so helpless. It had been worse than that first day. Worse than Volpina, even.

Looping back the ground, she grabbed her Lucky Charm and looked up as Dodgeboy landed next to her. No time left to find a better location. She let her yoyo fly, cracking against the edge of the roof, knocking a damaged section loose and letting it fall on her opponent. He hardly slowed down, and she had to stumble backward, looking for something else to exploit, another way to use her Lucky Charm.

But the only thing she could think of was how she shouldn't have left Cat Noir like that. He was hurt, and he needed her, and she had left.

Dodgeboy shook dust from his eyes and aimed again. Ladybug was forced to leap backward, somersaulting over the school's front stairs and skirting around the back of the building, before swinging herself back to the roof. Cat Noir was better off where he was. If she could finish this quickly, he would stop hurting sooner. As she landed, her foot hit a patch of fresh snow, and she slipped, falling face-first on the cold metal roof.

Why did it have to be snowing? It made fighting difficult and thinking sluggish. A few flakes hung to her skin before melting off, and she shivered. Cold. Her earrings beeped two minutes.

Forget the roof. Slippery, cold surfaces were not her friends right now. A gust of frigid wind knocked into her as she tried to survey the ground and find a place to land. Or a place to hide and transform. Her grip tightened over her Lucky Charm, as if it could protect her.

Uneasiness settled over her shoulders. Why had she thought four minutes would be enough to finish the fight? Leaving now to recharge made the most sense, but where? Dodgeboy could easily rip apart even the most secure location to find her. She didn't have time to defeat him, but she didn't have the time to retreat either.

Blinking, she tried to clear the cold and worries about her partner out of her mind. Neither were going to help her right now. Her best bet was getting lost in the school. There were too many places for him to look.

Not taking any longer to decide, she dropped off the roof, landing on Dodgeboy's head as he scaled the side of the building to get to her. He barely grunted, catching her leg with a swipe of his arm and sending her careening into the wall of the school. Stars flashed before her eyes as pain exploded in the back of her head.

She landed on her knees, vision swimming. This hadn't been part of her plan, right? Something about the school. She needed to get inside the school for some reason.

Her legs wobbled as she tried to stand, fingers loose around her giant fork as she used it to prop herself up. Dodgeboy stalked closer, both cannons trained on her, until one pressed into her stomach, the other hovering in front of her face. "Take off your earrings," he said. He pushed Ladybug into the wall, wide circle of the barrel squeezing against her ribs.

A black blur and a loud crack were the only warning she had before Dodgeboy slumped forward, cannons crushing her against the wall before falling to the side as the akuma collapsed. Her earrings beeped a one-minute warning as she stared at Cat Noir, who breathed heavily, baton still raised like a club, glaring at the akuma.

He raised his eyes to her, still scowling. "Are you going to yell at me now, too?" With a gasp, he clutched his chest. The baton clattered to the ground. And Cat Noir fainted.


	25. Touch

Chapter 25 - Touch

Ladybug debated for only a brief second before dashing for the fallen akuma instead of her partner.

When she wrenched the backpack open, she found a normal dodgeball, purple and pulsing with dark light. Shaking off the pain in her skull, she stomped on the ball, popping it, and the butterfly fluttered to escape her. In one fluid motion, she captured and released it and bent to scoop up her Lucky Charm and set everything right. She hardly looked away from Cat Noir the whole time.

The Dodgeboy she'd been fighting for nearly an hour melted away to reveal a boy she remembered seeing in the hallways between classes. The boy sat up immediately, took one look at her stony face, and skittered away.

All the while, Cat Noir hadn't moved. A niggling fear that he should have gotten up warred with her relief that his breathing was even, his face free of pain.

Snow continued to fall as she knelt on the hard pavement next to him. He faced the sky, eyes closed and peaceful. Without stopping to think about it, she reached for his hand.

He was going to be okay, but that didn't stop her from leaning over and putting her other hand on his chest. For a few seconds, she let it rest there, feeling the steady rhythm of his breathing, letting it reassure her, before sliding along each rib, one by one. They were whole and unbroken. She knew they would be, but she wanted to make sure, wanted to touch him to show herself that he was fine.

It was little more than an excuse to be near him, to touch him, but she didn't care. Her fingers paused over his heart, and she savored the even pulse, before she continued up his neck, then to his face, over his lips and into his hair.

"My poor, brave kitty," she said, her fingers grazing his scalp. "Why did you have to get hurt?"

Her touch finally roused him. Surprised, he pushed her hands away before he even opened his eyes. He rolled away and stood, his back to her.

"Um," she said, still kneeling on the ground. "Thanks." He didn't turn around, but she continued, "I'm glad you're okay."

"You, too." His words were stiff and addressed to the ground in front of him.

He stooped down to collect his baton as Ladybug got to her feet. Should she apologize now? Should she give him space? Wait until he was ready? They waited together, neither speaking.

Her earrings shrieked out their final warning. On instinct, Ladybug sprinted toward the school. As she rounded the corner, her transformation dropped away. If he'd been looking, he might have been able to see her real shoe before she was out of sight.

The ridiculousness finally hit her as she looked around. She'd been alone with Cat Noir. His back was turned, and he wouldn't have looked. And anyway, so what if he'd seen her?

An exhausted Tikki flopped into her waiting palms.

Guilt ripped Marinette's insides as she reached into her purse for a cookie. Ready or not, Cat Noir couldn't leave without a hearing her apology. She stepped around the edge of the building, Tikki still quietly nibbling on a chocolate chip.

She saw no one. Cat Noir had already left.

* * *

_Author's note: Three._


	26. Undercover Date

26-Undercover Date

Marinette woke up in a panic, to bright sunlight that slanted the wrong way through her windows. To her left arm pinned beneath her. To silence.

It was Thursday afternoon, and she'd had a nightmare during a nap. Cat Noir falling through black mist. Cat Noir slipping through her fingers as she tried to reach for him. Cat Noir calling for her to help him. The images chased each other through her mind over and over until she couldn't stand it and she reached for her phone to text him.

Until she remembered that they weren't texting each other anymore. Neither had sent a single message since their fight on Tuesday.

Marinette pushed herself up on her bed and looked around for something to distract herself from the circular worries that had plagued her for the last two days. Dodgeboy had awakened a new fear of losing her partner, but their argument had lost him to her in a completely different way.

Last night's patrol had been awful. He was there before she was, as usual, and she thought maybe they would be okay. They'd talk about it and be fine. When he suggested they go their separate routes and finish faster, she thought he'd wanted the extra time afterward to talk, so she'd agreed. When they met back up, he barely said goodnight before excusing himself and leaving her.

Marinette pinched the bridge of her nose to stop herself from crying again at the memory.

Just a few hours ago, there'd been another akuma. Another chance to fix it, she had told herself. They'd have to talk to each other, and they'd end up making jokes and flirting like they always did. Things would slide back into place.

The battle itself was nothing. They were perfectly professional, working seamlessly to bring the akuma down. It was amazing how well they could work together even when they weren't on speaking terms with each other. But there was no banter, no warmth, and no speaking beyond what was necessary.

She missed him. She missed him, even though he was right next to her. She spent the whole time wishing he would make a joke, call her his lady, touch her, or even just look at her. The uncertainty made it worse. She still didn't know if she should bring up their fight first. Would it be better to let him come to her when he was ready to talk about it? She'd never not known what to say to him before. The last thing she wanted to do was push him away by pushing him to talk.

That wasn't how it was supposed to be between them. It had always been easy. Easy to laugh. Easy to forgive. Easy to spend time together no matter what they were doing. She wanted it back. She wanted _him_ back. But she had no idea how to get there if he wouldn't even talk to her.

Marinette wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks, then climbed down her ladder. There was another patrol in a few hours. Maybe it would be better. Maybe he would be ready to talk tonight.

Ladybug was only two minutes early. Sunlight stretched across the rooftops, making her shadow feel tall, even as she wanted to shrink on herself. He hadn't beat her to the meeting spot. He _always_ was there first because he couldn't wait to see her. She'd been counting on it.

_Things are not going to get better, _a panicked voice told her. _He still doesn't want to talk to you. You hurt him too much this time. _

Two minutes after she did, Cat Noir arrived, exactly on time. His features were cold. Not angry, just sad and distant. With a small nod, he let her know that he was ready to start, and she followed him as they started on their route.

At least he hadn't suggested separate routes again. Ladybug tried to take that as a good sign, but he didn't talk to her at all unless it was strictly business. "That tile is loose." "I heard a noise over there." "That street is clear."

When she asked him questions, how was he doing, everything okay with your dad today, or (desperately) got any cat puns for me, all he would do was shrug and shake his head, if he responded at all. After a few minutes, her attempts fizzled out and she wondered again if she should just blurt out an apology, or if he would ignore that too. Without the perfect thing to say that would fix everything, she decided to stay silent, even as she worried that everything between them was already ruined forever.

Patrol dragged on, the silence stretching out the minutes into hours. Everything was quiet, robbing her of the relief of being useful and working together to stop some petty crime or akuma. By the time they'd finished their route, she was exhausted, but she still didn't want to go home and leave him again. What could she say to make him stay with her, even for just a little while longer? She fiddled with her yoyo, trying to find something and coming up empty.

"So tomorrow-" he finally said.

Ladybug's heart leaped up to her mouth. Tomorrow was Friday. They'd never set a time for their date. It was the first time he'd mentioned it. "Yeah?" she asked. Was he about to tell her when to be ready? Or was he going to tell her he changed his mind about her after all?

"We- Never mind," he cut himself off before he could get the words out. "Goodnight."

Ladybug watched him go until the black of his suit melted into the black of the night. "Well," she whispered to no one. "At least he didn't cancel, right? Maybe he'll text me about it."

_But he didn't confirm, either. _

She shivered in the cold for a few more minutes before trudging back home, holding onto the frailest of hopes.

Marinette waited on her bed, checking her phone every few minutes, opening and reopening the app, wondering if he'd texted, but the notification just hadn't alerted her.

"Marinette," Tikki said. "Text him or do something else."

"No yet," Marinette always said back. "Just a few more minutes." There was no way she was going to make the situation worse by pushing him to talk.

She waited until she fell asleep.

Marinette woke up the next morning with her phone in her hand, a text notification beeping in her ear. After a confused moment of trying to figure out why Cat Noir was asking her about her homework, she realized it wasn't from him at all. Just Alya.

Her heart broke a little more. He hadn't texted her. Hot tears spilled onto her cheeks. It was Friday already, and the sudden realization that she wasn't going on a date with Cat Noir pressed on her heart like a weight.

She'd missed and messed up chances to ask Adrien on dates. More than once. None had hurt as much as this. This realization didn't surprise her. Neither did acknowledging that she'd hardly thought about her classmate at all in the past few weeks, except to compare him to Cat Noir.

She wanted Cat Noir. Wanted to be with him. Wanted things to be fixed between them, but not so they could go back to the way they had been. Friendship wasn't enough for her anymore. All it took for her to see that was losing him.

Marinette pulled up the texting app, mind finally made up. Secret identities or not, she was going to be with him if he would still have her.

_Marinette: Are we still on for tonight? We never decided on a time. _

She didn't try to, but she counted the seconds until he texted her back. 36. So quick. Had he been staring at his phone, too?

_My Dork: I guess, if you want to. _

His tone was clipped, terse, not excited to be talking about this. Not excited to be going on a date with her. She pushed through the prickle of disappointment.

_Marinette: Sure. _

_ My Dork: North Bell Tower at six okay? _

_ Marinette: Sounds great._

She laid on her bed, waiting for another ten minutes before admitting that another text was not going to come, and rolling out of bed to get ready for the day.

Her necklace bounced against her collarbone as she bounded up the face of the Notre Dame. Darkness had already settled in, but the building was so familiar that she had no problem leaping from railing to gargoyle. The yoyo would have been faster, but the physical effort was like a relief valve for her jangling nerves. What was this date going to be like? Would he talk to her, finally?

She stopped just below the roof, taking a deep breath, before finally jumping up and lifting herself over the railing.

A circular dome took up almost the entire square roof of the bell tower. The only flat section was a triangle in the corner where she stood. The metal dome in front of her reflected soft moonlight, but that was the only thing she saw, hard edges of rock and darkness and enough slivers of light to show her that she'd been stood up.

Hands shaking, Ladybug backed up, not stopping until she was against the railing, leaning on it for support. No, not stood up. Maybe she'd gotten turned around and climbed the wrong tower. He had said north, but maybe she was on the south. When she turned around, the other tower was just as silent and abandoned. The wind whistled around her.

No, there must have been some other explanation. He was running late or something. Or he'd left her a note telling her the real location. Yes, that was it. A series of clues, and she had to search the city for him.

Running a hand along the rough stone railing, Ladybug walked the length of the bell tower, searching for some sign. As she walked, the corner opposite from where she had landed, which had been completely hidden by the dome, came into view.

Sparkling fairy lights glowed around a table set for two. As she got closer, she could make out flowers lining the railing. Soft music played. It was beautiful. He must have spent ages preparing this for her, more than just today. And how on earth had he dragged an entire table up here? She rapped her knuckles on the tabletop. It wasn't even a folding table. An actual wooden table with a red and black tablecloth. She couldn't stop herself from chuckling at the lengths he would go to impress her.

Warmth bloomed somewhere around her feet and filled her up. Peeking under the table, she realized he'd brought a space heater, so she wouldn't be cold. His thoughtfulness touched her as she continued to survey the setup.

Two things left her confused as she circled the table, running the edge of the tablecloth between her fingers. One, why go through the trouble of setting everything up and not ask her to come? Why spend the time making it look so nice when he couldn't even stand to talk to her? And two, where was he?

A shuffle by the railing caught her attention, and she finally spotted him in the shadows. Reflections of the fairy lights sparkled in his eyes.

"Thank you," she said. "This looks beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it he said," he said, pulling himself out of the darkness.

She waited until he was standing next to her before again saying, "Thank you."

"For what?" He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, looking at the table like he was debating sticking around for dinner or not.

"For inviting me."

He nodded, looking at the small bluetooth speaker on the table, and still not her. Silence threatened to squeeze the door closed on the little conversation that they had started, and Ladybug scrambled for another topic, reaching for the questions she'd had when she first saw what he'd planned.

"How long did it take you to set all this up? A long time?"

"Uh." He scuffed the toe of his boot on the ground and watched its progress. "Yeah. I've been working on it since, well, since Tuesday night."

More questions pushed over her tongue and against her teeth. What had really happened that day? Was he still mad at her? Did he still hurt at all? All she could bring herself to ask was, "Why didn't you ask me to come?"

He shrugged, but after three days of getting nothing out of him, she'd had enough. "Cat Noir." She kept her voice quiet, but he looked up at her anyway. "Why didn't you ask me?"

He hesitated, then said, "I thought you wouldn't want to anymore. That you had changed your mind about me." He walked away to pull a chair out for her, but the way he looked away told her he had something else he wanted to say, so she stood, waiting, until he sighed and continued, "I wanted to pretend for as long as I could that you still wanted to come. I didn't want to hear you tell me no."

"I'm sorry," she said, putting all the grief and anxiety she'd felt over the last few days aside. He needed to know that she still cared about him. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner that I still wanted to. Why didn't you talk to me? You were so quiet. I thought you wanted space."

"Space," he said, shaking his head, "is not something I will ever want from you. You weren't talking about it either, so I thought..."

Ladybug waited, hoping that he would open up and tell her, but she knew he wouldn't, so she would have to guess. "You thought I was still angry."

"Yeah."

"Want to know a secret?"

His head tilted to the side, curious.

"I was never mad. I was terrified. You could have been killed, and I didn't even know about it until you collapsed in front of me. When you didn't tell me about it, I thought you were trying to hide it because you didn't trust me or something. Then I had no idea how to fix it. You always hold back so much information. I couldn't even guess at what to say."

Cat Noir slid the chair back in place, then walked toward her, not stopping until they were nose to nose.

* * *

_Author's note: Two._


	27. Love

Chapter 27 – Love

Cat Noir soaked in Ladybug's words, letting them wash away the hopelessness and fear that he'd been bathing in for days.

Her sweet voice rolled over him, lifting him up, carrying him, until he found himself walking toward her, watching as her eyes grew wider, and wishing he could be closer, wishing he could reach out and touch her.

She hadn't been angry? She'd just been lost and afraid like him? It had never occurred to him that Ladybug, who always knew what to do in battle, was scared of starting a conversation.

Ladybug waited patiently as two sides roiled inside him. How could it be true that she wasn't angry? His memory of that day was so sharp. Her face contorted with rage as he lay crumpled on the floor at her feet. Saying she didn't need him. The cold shock when he had showed up to the fight anyway.

But his Lady wouldn't lie to him about his. And the look she gave him now, a shy smile, asked him to give her another chance. Believe her.

"I do trust you," he said, answering her unasked question and his own doubts. "It's just... hard for me to talk about things. Ask you for things." The excuse sounded feeble. A flimsy shield for his actions, and he wanted to run and hide again, but her hands took his and kept him anchored in place, so he kept talking. "It's like I need to prove myself constantly, that I'm worth the miraculous I've been given. Worth your attention."

All the pieces he'd been leaving her started to fit together now that he'd given her the frame for them. He saw the exact second that she understood. Felt it. Her hands tightened around his. "You needed to prove that you could help me, and I told you to stay behind. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. You're so different from everyone at home, and I need to learn how to stop thinking that you're the same. It's my fault for not knowing how to do that yet."

Ladybug shook her head, but didn't push the point. "Is there anything else you're holding back that I should know? I promise I'll listen."

Fear shot through him as she waited, expectant, inviting. Oh, there were things he wanted to tell her, words he'd rehearsed a thousand times. None of them he was certain she wanted to hear. His mouth felt like sandpaper as he swallowed, dry and scratchy. Rejection loomed heavy over his head.

"You want me to tell you everything and be honest?"

She nodded once, pulling him closer, waiting for him to let her in. There would be no escaping this time. He was sure she wouldn't let him go without telling her_ something_. [italics] It may as well be the truth.

"I know your feelings for me have been changing, and I'm sorry for getting hurt and messing up the mission. And that I flirt too much. I'm sorry I'm not always the partner you want, but..." His voice dropped along with his stomach. "Did I mess up my chance with you?"

Ladybug pressed four fingers against her lips to cover her reaction, hiding the shape her mouth made, but her eyes grew softer, so he kept going.

"I think about you all the time. I want to be with you all the time. Not just when we're in the masks. I want you to meet my friends and be there for you when you have bad days. And..."

"And?" she prodded.

This was it.

"And I love you," he whispered. "I'm in love with you."

* * *

_Author's note: ONE._


	28. Forgiveness

Chapter 28 – Forgiveness

"I'm only accepting part of your apology," Ladybug said.

Disappointment as sharp as an electric shock forced Cat Noir backward, and he pulled his hands out of hers. After all her talk of trust and promises to be understanding, she just ignored his confession and-

Ladybug didn't let him get far, grabbing all ten of his fingers and reeling him back to her, until they were closer than before. He stared down at their joined hands.

"I forgive you for lying. And for hiding things from me. But you can't apologize for things that aren't your fault. Kitty, look at me." She waited until she was sure he was listening. "Don't apologize for getting hurt. We both know it's a dangerous job."

He nodded. They hardly talked about it, but the risk was always there.

"And..."

The word hung between them, tempting and mysterious. "And?" he asked, too curious to let her hide behind her silence any longer.

"And I have a confession of my own."

His cat ears perked up, even as he told himself to be wary. A confession could be for a lot of things. For wrongdoing or bad news, not just for love. He braced himself.

Ladybug took a step closer, then another, until they were chest to chest. More hesitantly than he'd ever seen her move, she reached for him, cupping his face with both hands, and he sank into her touch.

"I love you," she said.

When had the world started spinning so fast? When had things stopped making sense? How could she have admitted this now, after telling him she hadn't chosen yet? After such a big fight? She couldn't really mean it the way he had, could she?

He wanted to run away until things made sense, but Ladybug wanted him to talk to her, and he trusted her enough to stay and ask.

"Love me?" he asked. "As in...?"

"As in I'm in love with you. You're my best friend, and I care about you. More than you know. It just took me a while to catch up with you."

Ladybug's smile filled his vision as happiness started to fill up his heart. He hadn't realized how empty it had been for so long until she started pouring her love in. And he kept filling and filling until he finally thought he would burst.

"I love this communication thing," he said.

She giggled. "Anything else you want to know?"

"Just one question. Can I kiss you?"

In answer, Ladybug pulled him down and kissed him first.

* * *

_Author's note: FINALLY! There's only four chapters left, and they're all going to be disgustingly adorable. All aboard the fluff train! Choo choo!_


	29. Roses

Chapter 29 – Roses

Night fell steadily over the Notre Dame cathedral and the two superheroes perched on the bell tower. The rising moon was the only indication of passing time, but the whole night could have passed and Ladybug wouldn't have cared.

Dinner had been delicious. Cat Noir swore he didn't cook any of it himself, so it was safe for human consumption. The admission had made her laugh, and the expression on his face when she offered to bring him a homemade dinner to their next patrol had made her kiss him again. Happy and shy and hesitant, so unlike the loud reveling she'd been expecting.

They sat side-by-side at the table, at her insistence. It was cramped, and their arms brushed together as they ate, but it felt nice to be so close to him. Besides, sitting like this made it much easier to sneak kisses onto his cheek when he wasn't expecting it. He still shook a little every time she did it. Like he was never expecting it, or maybe that he couldn't quite believe this was real. It was a reaction she planned on curing him of as soon as possible.

Nearly an hour later, she was sopping up the last of the sauce with her bread, taking her time swirling it around the edges of the plate. Taking her time, because she didn't want to leave him, didn't want the night to end so quickly.

"Dinner's taking a lot longer to finish than I thought it would." Cat Noir looked down at their nearly empty plates, a little confused.

Ladybug smiled knowingly. "Hmm," she said said, drawing out the sound to pull his attention back to her. "I think I know why your calculations were so off."

"Really?" He turned, and their faces were only inches apart. "Why is-"

Ladybug cut him off with a kiss. "Too many of these," she said, before giving him a second. And then a third.

Cat Noir responded slowly, stiff under her touch. She'd surprised him again, but he recovered quickly, his shoulders dropping as he sighed against her mouth. His hands found her waist, sliding her to the edge of her chair, like he couldn't get close enough to her, even while kissing her.

He was the one who pulled away first, nuzzling his nose into her cheek. "I'll never have too many of these." His breath tickled. "But we have to get going. We're going to be late!"

"Late?" she asked, excitement bubbling. "You mean there's more?"

Chairs scraped and the tablecloth rustled as Cat Noir helped Ladybug to her feet. "Oh, come on," he said as he guided her to the edge of the tower. Lights sparkled below them. "You know how over-the-top I am, especially when I'm trying to impress you." And he flipped over the edge, spinning in midair until he landed on the wooden spine of the roof 100 feet below. Like the show-off he was.

Ladybug chuckled before following.

"See? I told you I was faster than you," Cat Noir said two minutes later. They landed in front of the marble steps of the Palais de la Découverte, the Palace of Discovery science museum. White stone columns and black bronze horse statues stared down at the new couple.

"You are not," Ladybug said. "You beat me here because I didn't know where we were going."

"And that's somehow my fault?"

Ladybug shoved his shoulder, not finding that comment worthy of a response. Everything she had loved and missed about their relationship was back in full force, the banter, the friendship, the trust. Really, it wasn't much different now than it had been before. There were just new types of touching, and a happier Cat Noir.

Together they walked up the front steps, and a cold gust of wind made her shiver and pull closer to him.

"So does the second half of this date include breaking and entering?" she asked. The glass double doors were shut tight. All the lights beyond were dark. "Because I think this place is closed."

"It is closed," he said, reaching into his pocket. "But I've made a special request." The key jangled on its ring as he held it out for her to examine. "Being an- I mean, being me has some benefits."

The way he said it, the way he scuttled off to unlock the door, eyes averted... Ladybug wasn't sure if he'd meant his superhero or civilian self.

She walked up slowly behind him – then watched with delight as he fumbled the key when she put her hand on the small of his back – before he swung the door open for her.

"After you." He slipped from underneath her fingers as he pulled away and bowed for her to enter. Strange. Had he been keeping his distance all night? Considering how she'd been hanging off him all night, she'd expected... But maybe she was just imagining it.

She reached out and brushed her hand over his chest as she past him, but was quickly distracted.

Her footsteps seemed louder than normal as she stepped through the door and the outside world hushed. Whispers of their conversation echoed through the enormous atrium. "I have no idea where we're going," Ladybug said. "You still want me to lead the way?"

"Only if I can follow you to heaven."

"Uh..." Ladybug was grateful it was so dark. Another difference in their dynamic: How easily she blushed at his flirts.

Cat Noir waved for her to follow and walked deeper into the empty building. She let him get about three steps before she caught up and looped her arm through his. They passed paintings and statues, whispering to each other until they arrived at another set of doors that opened on what looked like a small auditorium, minus the stage. Seats ringed around a circle of space in the center of the room, which was empty except for a desk with a computer and some other electronics on it. They walked down to the front row, where he motioned for her to sit down.

With a few sharp taps of his claws, the computer turned on and started to hum. "I believe I once promised you the stars, My Lady."

Lights sparkled above her, and the seats leaned back easily to let her see the night sky – filled with more stars than she'd ever seen – glowing on the ceiling. The chair next to her squeaked as her partner sat down and started giving her the grand tour. Galaxies swirled. Planets flashed by. He knew so much.

And Ladybug's fingers felt so lonely. Expecting him to take her hand at the first opportunity, she'd left it on her armrest for him. But in the dim light, she could see his hands tucked neatly on his lap. Come to think of it, he hadn't touched her first all night except to help her to her feet after dinner. In the darkness, her concerns resurfaced. She'd kind of expected him to be all over her, all hands and lips and soft whispers.

His voice wavered a little as she reached over and slid her hand into his, but he kept up with his explanation of star clusters and stellar nurseries as he laced their fingers. The speech was only paused when he raised her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingertips, one by one.

Ladybug loved listening to him. He was attentive and understanding of her questions, though in her completely unbiased opinion the armrests detracted from the presentation. They were downright obnoxious, getting in her way and creating a barrier between them like that. She had half a mind to climb into his lap, she started to get up, but then the stars above dimmed to faint pinpricks and the house lights come back on.

"So, what did you think?" he asked. He turned her hand over in his, tracing the large dot in the center of her palm.

She thought a lot of things. That she wished she'd realized earlier how wonderful her partner was. And how time was really unfair, speeding up like this when she wanted to be with him longer. When she didn't answer his question right away, his ears flattened and his fingers stilled.

"I think," she quickly said, "that I'm not quite ready to go home yet." This time, she did lead him, just to the center of the room, where there was a small space between the first row of chairs and the computer. The hum of electronics and her own heartbeat were the only music, but she put her free hand on his shoulder and guided him into a slow dance under the starlight sky.

Instead of the bright smile she expected at their closeness, Cat Noir seemed distant and maybe a little sad. His steps were slow. He tried to hold her at arm's length, and she had to keep stepping closer. What on earth was bothering him?

"You really went all out for me, didn't you?" she asked, when she couldn't stand his silence anymore.

"Was it too much?" he asked, sounding nervous. His wide eyes blinked rapidly. "Sorry. I've never been on a real date before."

Before she could formulate a witty response about his lack of experience, he took another step back, like he wasn't sure if he was allowed to stand this close to a girl while on a date.

Okay, that was it. Ladybug was done feeling like she was chasing him across the room instead of dancing with him. Tightening her grip on him, she pulled him in, until she could comfortably rest her head on his shoulder.

That finally seemed to be enough permission for him. The hand on her waist lightened, until only one finger remained. He pulled it up, outlining her curve from her waist up her side and sliding back down again. She shivered when his fingers brushed her hip and melted into him a little further, before his palm flattened against her body once more.

"No, it's not too much," she whispered. "You just did all this work while thinking I wasn't coming."

"But I hoped," he said. "Just like I've always done."

***[break]

It was another hour before the duo made their way back through the dark corridors of the museum. Their footsteps echoed on the tiles, and Ladybug watched Cat Noir out of the corner of her eye. He was smiling, but it was small, and aimed at the floor instead of at her.

Now was the perfect opportunity to ask him what was wrong, but before she could figure out how best to frame her concern, he stopped at the front door and turned to her. The only light was from streetlamps and headlights that filtered through the glass. The shadows it cast were soft, blurring the edges of his mask, though it couldn't hide how his expression went from pleased to hesitant.

"I have something else for you," he said. "I promise it's not over-the-top this time."

Ladybug waited expectantly as he ducked behind a pillar and pulled out an enormous bouquet of roses, pink and red, her favorites. It overflowed in her hands as she pulled them into to smell them. There must have been three dozen. Her hands barely fit around them stems.

This was his idea of a reasonable gift? Not that she minded – she was flattered – but it did raise some questions.

She smiled and thanked him as he led them outside and locked the door behind them. The crescent moon was soaring above the city now.

"I hate to say it," he said, "but it's probably time to go."

"We've stayed out later before." She rubbed a rose petal in between her fingers. "And I don't really want to leave." She doubted he did either.

Cat Noir cleared his throat. "Then maybe we-" He took his guiding hand off her elbow. There it was again. The distance that she hadn't expected, that she'd been fighting so hard against all night.

"Never mind," he said. "I'll let you make up your mind before asking again."

"Make up my mind about what?"

He looked confused. "Don't you remember? I promised I wouldn't bother you for a second date until after you'd made your choice."

Ladybug's mouth fell open. "Are you serious? This is what's been bothering you?" She hadn't intended it to come out as a shriek, but the way his cat ears flattened, she thought she might need to turn the volume down a little. "How many times have I kissed you tonight?"

"Thirty-eight."

His tone was so matter-of-fact that Ladybug paused. "You... you counted."

The ears pressed further against his hair. "Is that weird?"

Carefully passing her bouquet to one hand to get it out of her way, she shook her head and closed the space between them. "Thirty-nine." And she kissed him. This one was slower than the others had been, lingering, as she poured everything she felt into it.

Honestly, how could this boy not have realized what he meant to her? He needed to _know._

"Forty," she whispered, letting her free hand wander up his arm and ghost over his cheek as she kissed him again. "Forty-one." And again.

When they broke apart, he didn't step away this time. He was solid and there, and she thought he finally understood, with his hands firmly around her waist, his lips resting against her forehead. But she had to make sure.

"If it isn't clear," she said. "I'm picking you. I've already picked you."

The grip around her tightened. "Then can we please, maybe, do this again sometime?" The vibrations of his voice rumbled through her. "Because I have about a million other ideas I want to spoil you with."

"I'd love to."

"Yeah?" There was the smile she'd been waiting for all night. Brilliant and glowing, blinding her to everything that wasn't _him _(while still managing to squeeze in that adorable goofiness she'd always loved).

"Yeah," she said. "But there is one thing I need to ask you."

"Anything."

A car whizzed by. People across the street walked slowly, watching them. A window light flicked on in the next building. And Ladybug felt suddenly too exposed and nervous to keep going.

"But not here," she said. "Follow me."

* * *

_Author's note: I'm posting on Monday because I couldn't get it done over the weekend, and I'm *still* not entirely happy with it. :/_


	30. Reveal

Chapter 30 – Reveal

Cat Noir's heart thrummed with happiness as he chased Ladybug through the night. The lights of cars and buildings flashed by beneath him. It didn't even feel like he was running or jumping or skipping or whatever it was his feet were doing.

He felt like he was _flying. _

Though she didn't need to, Ladybug glanced behind her frequently, making sure he was still following. Of course he was still following. He'd follow her anywhere. They both knew he would always be there, watching her back, but it made him feel watched out for, cared for.

And she was using each and every opportunity to throw him flirty winks over her shoulder, so there was that.

It was such a contrast to the last few days, when he was sure his powers of destruction had ruined everything. And now... Forty-one kisses. She'd kissed him. She confessed to him. She'd _chosen _him!

They passed over buildings and cars at a leisurely pace, and Cat Noir was content to let his Lady lead him while curiosity pulled at his attention. What was she going to ask him? To be her boyfriend? He flushed, and his baton shifted in his slackening hold ever so slightly.

But what if that wasn't her question? The glow vanished as quickly as it had come. Panic started to grip him, and his stomach clenched. What if she'd been expecting him to ask her out earlier, and now she was disappointed with him? Why didn't he ask her to be his girlfriend yet?! Or was that maybe already kind of implied?

Some part of him – he wasn't sure if it was more or less rational that the rest of him – almost expected her question to be "Can you please turn your alarm off?" and for him to be catapulted back into real life, where Ladybug was still mad at him and he was powerless to fix it. But the memory of how warm her lips had felt against his was real enough.

It was a testament to how distracting _that _particular thought was that he was that he didn't realize they were heading _directly toward his house _until Ladybug landed on his roof and turned around to blow him a kiss. He had just enough time to have a small heart attack that he'd somehow exposed his identity before she was throwing her yoyo and flying off again.

Stopping directly above his own bedroom, Cat Noir took several deep breaths to recover from the false alarm.

"You going to stand there all night?" she taunted. "Or are you finally admitting I'm faster?" Several buildings away, Ladybug lazily looped her yoyo in wide circles, though she scampered as soon as he started moving again. His enhanced hearing caught her breathless laugh, his mind simultaneously memorizing it and planning how to make her laugh like that again.

Ladybug had quite the lead on him. It wasn't until she reached his school that she stowed her yoyo around her waist. With his sharpened eyesight, he could clearly see her soft smile as she turned around and opened her arms wide.

She stood there and waited patiently as he got closer. Her arms stayed open the whole time, inviting, beckoning, calling him home. The truth that simple gesture spoke struck him all the harder because he wasn't expecting it.

She wanted him. She wanted him to know that she wanted him. Ladybug was willing to wait for him as he caught up to her, and do it with a smile on her face. How could a smile be so beautiful that it made him feel stronger even as it liquified his insides?

The siren pull of her arms became stronger the closer he got, and his pace became faster and faster. He was first vaulting steadily, then running across rooftops and throwing himself over streets. By the time he landed in front of her, he was going so fast that he tumbled on the landing and collapsed into her arms.

"Looks like someone missed me," Ladybug said, managing to keep them both upright.

Cat Noir made a noise of agreement that definitely didn't sound like a whimper as he sank deeper into her embrace, drinking in the sensation of being held, maybe even cherished.

It was overwhelming. All of it. How in love with her he was. The knowledge that she loved him back. The way she ran her fingers across his back and whispered reminders that he would never need to miss her again, that she would never let him be lonely ever again.

When he nuzzled into her neck in his need to be closer to her, she didn't complain or push him away. She simply swept his hair out of his face with soft caresses, following the trail her fingertips made with featherlight kisses, on his temple, across his forehead, down to the tip of his nose.

It was several minutes before he had the strength to stand upright on his own. Ladybug kept her hands looped around his waist, pinning them together. She wanted to be near him, and that realization made Cat Noir so dizzy he almost melted into her again.

His throat felt thick and too tight, and he had to swallow several times before managing to speak. "So what did you want to ask me?"

One hand slid from his back, up his chest, to rest over his heart – a heart that was already as much hers as her own was.

"Cat Noir," she said slowly, watching his face carefully. "Will you walk me home?"

"I don't know where you... Oh." Confusion gave way quickly to understanding as he grasped her implication. "Y-you don't have to-" he stuttered. "I mean, if you want to-" He could only imagine what his face must look like, but she must have liked what she saw because she smiled wider as he continued to babble. "Really, I'm okay if you don't... I can wait if-"

A soft finger to his lips cut off the steady flow of nonsense.

"My name is Marinette. Will you walk me home, please? I live right there." She pointed over her shoulder to the bakery behind her, and Cat Noir's vision went hazy.

She was Marinette too? Marinette loved him too?! This was too much. _She _was too much, and she'd honestly picked him? Marinette, with her fierce devotion to her friends, her bubbly enthusiasm, creativity, and contagious laughter. It seemed unreal that out of everyone, she wanted to be with him.

"Hi, Marinette," he whispered. "My name is Adrien Agreste. I love you, and I live over there." He flapped his arm wildly, hoping it was the right direction. He honestly couldn't take his eyes off of her to check.

Shock registered briefly across her face. Ladybug caught his arm as he flailed, gently pointing it off in what was probably the real right direction. And then she started to cry.

* * *

_Author's note: This was the gooiest chapter ever! 3 And there's only two chapters left! AHH!_


	31. Promise

Chapter 31 – Promise

It was a quiet cry, soft and delicate, but Ladybug's tears still sent Cat Noir into a panic. Did he do something wrong? Was _being Adrien_ wrong? Had she not wanted to know his identity yet? He tried to pull her in, tuck her into his chest, and give her the same comfort she'd given him, but she put her hands on his shoulders and leaned him back until he could see the smile below the tears.

"You really _are _the man of my dreams!" And then she was hugging him, burrowing into his arms. "I can't believe I fell in love with you twice!"

Her words were hot on his neck and shot straight through to his heart, and suddenly he was the one pulling her closer.

"Actually," she said, "I can believe it. You're amazing. Can we be together now?"

_Of course. Definitely. Absolutely._ But all he could manage was a weak, "Yes."

"Promise?" She squeezed him tighter.

It was like his mouth wouldn't work right. Words wanted to spill out of him so fast he had to fight to keep them in order. "I promise. Together forever." His voice broke on the last word, and he realized with a little embarrassment that she wasn't the only one crying.

"You're just as bad as I am," Ladybug teased, even as she wiped at his cheek with her thumb.

"Further proof that we're made for each other."

"Like you needed any more reasons." She flicked his bell.

He kissed her this time – forty-two, forty-three – slow and steady, until the kisses melted into each other, without beginning or ending. His lips hardly left hers before he was kissing her again.

It was several more minutes before they parted. Cat Noir felt as calm and quiet as the night around them. "I'd be honored to walk you home," he murmured into her hair. "In fact..." He pulled back suddenly, watching with delight as Ladybug's arms reached out after him. "I can do better than that."

In one fluid motion, he extended his baton over the road and created a rail-thin bridge to her balcony.

"May I?" he asked, holding out his arms for her.

"You're such a goof." Ladybug giggled again, blushing, and slipped her arms around his neck. When he picked her up bridal style, she snuggled into him with her head on his shoulder. Ladybug would never behave that way, but Marinette would, and was amazed all over again that this was Marinette, and that she felt this way about him.

He waited until no cars with curious drivers were passing by beneath them, then stepped off the roof and tiptoed across the gap. Ladybug closed her eyes, trusting him to get her home safely.

It was easy to hop over her railing, and difficult to let her go, and almost impossible to stay upright as he watched Ladybug transform back into Marinette for the first time. He barely registered a kwami diving through a skylight to give them privacy. The girl in front of him held his entire attention.

And yet he was still caught off guard when she pushed up on her toes and kissed him suddenly. "I love you, Adrien."

Cat Noir hummed happily as he ran his fingers through her pigtails. "So, I'll see you at school on Monday?"

"Can you come by sooner than that?" she asked. She tilted her head, a coy smile creeping across her face. "I don't want to miss my boyfriend for the whole weekend."

At the word "boyfriend," it really was impossible to stay upright, and his hands flailed until they found the railing to support him.

Marinette started to grin, obviously delighted with this newfound power to knock him off his feet, and she pushed forward. "I don't want to be lonely without you," she said, leaning into his space. Cat Noir knew he had to regain some control over the situation before she wrecked him. Well, wrecked him even more than she already had.

"Well, you won't have to be," he croaked. He'd meant it to come out smooth and confident. "There'll probably be an akuma tomorrow. I'll see you then." And suddenly, his feet were on her railing and he was getting ready to jump away, when he felt a tug on his middle. Turning around, he saw the end of his tail looped around Marinette's fist, holding him in place.

"Don't go yet!"

"But it's late and I need my beauty sleep," he complained. "I don't look this hot on accident, you know."

Her eyes flicked down and just as quickly up again, and then away as soon as she realized she'd been caught. As soon as he hopped off the balcony, Marinette shifted her hold, releasing his tail in favor of locking her arms around him. "Good thing I like you for more than just your looks then." She was still staring at a spot on his shoulder, cheeks red.

"How long are you going to keep me prisoner?" he asked. Not that he minded in the slightest. A blushing Marinette squeezing herself around him, encasing him in her affection? He didn't mind at all.

"Until you lose count of how many kisses I've given you," she said, finally looking at him. Well, at his mouth.

"I hope you're ready to be out here all night then, because I'm going to count very, _very_ carefully." Cat Noir leaned in.

"I'd better get started then." And she closed the gap.

* * *

_Author's note: He definitely lost count before he went home, but he kept making up numbers as an excuse not to leave. Marinette saw through this charade almost immediately but didn't call him on it because she wanted more kissies._

_This was actually the last Ladynoir July prompt, but you're getting one more chapter to tie everything together. :D_


	32. The End

It was Friday. Their one week anniversary. Seven days since getting together. The ending of the best week of Adrien's life. And he was in Marinette's bedroom, enveloped in pink and fabric and the smell of cookies, spinning on her desk chair as she redecorated.

He'd spent every spare moment this week with her, getting to know her as one whole instead of two halves, piecing together everything he'd ever known about his partner and his classmate into one amazing person. It was easy now, seeing them as one, finding Ladybug's grace in Marinette and Marinette's passion in Ladybug.

Last Saturday, the first time he'd come by, he was delighted to see dozens of pictures of Cat Noir staring back at him. His girlfriend (his girlfriend!) had kissed him mercilessly to stop the flow of teasing, and when that hadn't worked, she'd asked him how much Ladybug merchandise he had stashed away in his room. That had.

Today, her walls had been bared and re-covered. Piles of his pictures were stacked in a neat line across her desk – pictures from photo shoots, magazines, news reports, and some she'd taken herself. Pictures of Adrien and pictures of Cat Noir. Evidence that she wanted a constant reminder of his existence, which made him smile.

There were so many pictures, and he wasn't sure where they'd all come from. The printer hummed in the background, printing off more images of the super duo together, the only category that was lacking. Soon, there would be more pictures of him on her walls than pink, and that was saying something.

On the other side of the room, Marinette pushed her dress form aside to reveal one of the few remaining bare patches. He watched as she held up two more pictures against the wall, then switched their position and nodded.

"Could you hand me more of that tacky stuff, Kitten?"

Adrien rolled himself over to her, holding out his bounty proudly. "You want some help?"

"I've got it handled," she said, bending over and brushing his hair out of the way to she could give him a quick peck on the forehead. "But thanks for volunteering."

Marinette turned to attack the naked wall, and Adrien was left to slowly roll himself back to his designated spot. He watched her work the whole way, until his chair smashed into the desk and one of the picture piles spilled into the floor.

"Sorry, sorry!" He scrambled to pick them up. Thankfully, he'd only knocked over the smallest one, the last in the line.

"Did you just crash because you were staring at me again?" Marinette asked without turning around.

Adrien cleared his throat and shuffled the pictures loudly to fill up the silence. Marinette chuckled.

He was going to stack them back neatly for her, but as he thumbed through the pictures, his breath caught. Their very first kiss, during the fight with Dark Cupid. The one Tom snuck a photo of two days ago. The one Alya had insisted on taking when they first told her they were together. (Marinette had snuck a kiss on his cheek just as the shutter closed.)

The first paparazzi photo of Ladybug and Cat Noir kissing. Rumors had been swirling for a whole 24 hours before reporters had managed to corner them. To answer, Ladybug had dipped him in front of a dozen cameras – and then had to hold him up to hide that his knees had gone weak.

At the bottom of the pile was the one he'd taken so long ago. They were in each others' arms in front of park fountain after spending hours just talking. The peace he'd felt that night was evident across his face, and the echo of it was still strong enough to slow down his awareness of the present, while the image of Ladybug held his attention.

Ladybug, who he could clearly see as Marinette. Ladybug, wearing her widest, most beautiful smile. Ladybug, who let herself be nestled into his arms, eyes bright, moonlight in her hair. It had been the first time they'd stayed out that late together. The first time his flirting had made her blush.

Joy was radiating off her face.

She had that look a lot now, and he was humbled that he was part of the reason, then and now.

He knew she'd had the picture up next to her bed at one point, but here it was, corners curling, removed from its special spot and at the bottom of the smallest pile. The pile at the very edge of her desk, the very last stack of pictures she was planning to put up.

As an afterthought? If she had room? Why leave them for the end? Niggling doubts told him that it was because she didn't like them as much, that she was only including them because she thought he expected her to include them and she could live without having them.

Adrien put the pile down gently, taking his time to square up the corners, then slowly lowered himself back into the chair and pushed himself away from them before he continued his twirl.

He was being stupid. This was her room. She could decorate it however she wanted. His thoughts spiraled with him as he spun in her chair and stared at the ceiling. Who was he to tell her which pictures he wanted up? What right did he have to be so demanding and needy?

Soft footsteps were the only warning he had before his knee hit her leg and sent his spin drifting in the other direction. Marinette had entered his space, and she was decorated with a frown and crossed arms.

"Okay," she said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Adrien forced a perky smile.

Marinette put her hands on her hips, unimpressed.

"Really." He shrank back into the chair. "Everything's fine. Just…" Looking around the room didn't give him any inspiration for what he "just" was. "Just waiting for you to finish."

That was true. He _was _waiting for her to finish. And nothing _was_ wrong. The pictures shouldn't be a big deal. They were just decoration, and he knew that she loved him. It didn't mean anything.

Marinette hesitated, her eyes flickering from his face to his hunched shoulders. Adrien strained to relax them but only made himself sink lower into the chair.

"Okay, if you insist," she said, shrugging and turning away from him. "I'm going to trust that you're being honest with me."

His guilt only let her get two steps away before it forced him to say, "Wait."

She turned back to him, looking down on him where he sat, expecting him to tell her something important – that was worth being bothered about – and Adrien wanted to swallow his words. This was so stupid.

"Hey. Look at me." Marinette's padded toward him in pink socks, but didn't stop when she reached his chair. Instead, he stared at her knees as she settled her weight on his lap and took his face in her hands.

"Please forget it," he said, counting her freckles instead of looking in her eyes. "It's dumb."

"That's fine," she promised. "But you aren't dumb for being upset."

Marinette's hands, warm and reassuring, never left his face as she waited. She wouldn't have asked if she didn't want to know, he reasoned. It was okay to ask for things like this. If his request was over the line, she could say no. There really was no excuse not to. So why was getting the words out so difficult? She wasn't like that.

Marinette's thumb idly brushing over his lips was so distracting that he almost missed the tiny shifts of her weight on his lap, the twitches of her feet, how her breathing was slightly uneven. She was nervous. And that was finally what broke him.

Here she was, thinking she'd done something to upset him, and trying to coax it out of him anyway. She really was too good for him.

Her shirt was soft under his palms as he slipped his hands around her waist to keep her steady and then rolled them back toward her desk. Marinette pulled her hands away from his face to grip his shoulders and leaned into him to keep her balance, though he never would have let her fall.

"Could you…" The pictures nearly slipped through his shaking fingers as he picked them up off the table and handed them to her. "Could you put these ones up? Please?"

"Why?" Marinette kept her face blank, free of the judgement or surprise or annoyance or whatever it was she was feeling, and that was almost worse somehow. There was no way to tell what she thought of the request. But she was waiting for him to finish, so he did.

"Because I love them," he said, fingers running over the picture of her lips while they itched to touch her real ones. "And I love you. And I want you to remember that I love you, even when I'm not around."

Marinette's shoulders relaxed, and she shifted in his lap again, getting comfortable. "What made you think I wasn't going to put them up?"

Adrien shrugged, letting his gaze drop from her face back to his fingers. It had been a stupid question after all. She wouldn't have put the pile on her desk if she hadn't been planning on-

"Haven't you ever heard of 'saving the best for last'?" Marinette placed one strong fingertip against the hollow of his throat and slid it up his neck to the point of his chin, forcing his face up to hers. She smiled as she kissed him. "Thank you for being honest."

Before he could grip her tighter and pull her in for another kiss, she scooted off his lap, pictures in hand. "This pile happens to be my favorite, and I was planning-" she pointed up above them, "-on putting them around my bed. What do you think?"

There was no way. It couldn't be this easy, could it? Hesitant happiness started to seep in, filling some his cracks of doubt.

"I love it," Adrien said, standing up. The walls around her loft were bare, except for one sparkle of light: the necklace he'd given her.

"So which one's your favorite?"

"It's your room," Adrien said. "Put them up how you want."

Marinette started to climb the ladder, taking her time, stopping at the top to stare down at him. "Want to help me?"

"I thought you said you didn't need any." He started climbing anyway. His girlfriend (his girlfriend!) and her adorable smile beckoned to him.

"Trust me," she said, pulling him up the last two rungs. "I'm an expert at sticking your picture to walls. But I still want your help."

He'd never been invited up here before. This was completely new territory. Unsure of what to do, Adrien knelt at the foot of her bed, knees dimpling the blanket. There wasn't a whole lot he _could _do. Marinette clutched all the pictures to herself.

And then she held them out to him, and he crawled over to grab them.

"Which one should I put here?" she asked as soon as he'd taken the pile from her. Her palm spread flat across her ceiling, right above her pillow.

"Why start there?" There was so much space on her walls.

Marinette smiled at him. "Because I want you to be the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see every night."

Wordlessly, Adrien fumbled through the pictures until he found his favorite. That night in front of a sparkling fountain, when she'd snuggled up to him for the sake of a picture, the night he first began to think he had a chance.

The stack of pictures disappeared in a matter of minutes, transforming into the best wallpaper Adrien had ever seen. Marinette leaned back against her pillows when they were finished, then held out her arms open for him. Adrien wasted no time in leaning into her, letting her support his weight as his insecurities melted.

Eyes closed, he rested his face in her neck. His scalp buzzed as she ran her fingers through his hair, down to his nape, up around his ear. A tightness in his chest he didn't even know was there loosened as she held him. His favorite place. This was his favorite place to be. And was that smell vanilla frosting?

"I think it looks good, don't you?" she finally said.

"Mmm." He pushed his nose into her neck to smell the vanilla again.

"Hey. You feel better?"

Adrien lifted himself up just enough to look her in the eye, letting his face hang close to hers. Kissing distance. His favorite second place to be. "A lot."

"And all you had to do was ask."

"That's all, huh? Because I have another question." He dipped in lower, tilting his head, letting his nose brush her cheek.

"You already know that answer." Marinette's mouth rose up to meet him.

The End

* * *

_Author's note: WOO! Thank you for reading! I think this is now officially my longest fanfic, so thanks for coming along for the ride! (Even if it took a super long time. Ha.)_

_If you liked this, you might also like my other Miraculous fics, which you can find on my profile. They're mostly one-shots, but there are a few longer ones, too. Or you can check out everything I have coming up (also on my profile)._

_I'm *finally* going to get back to "A Cat of Their Own." I promise! In the meantime, I'll be cross-posting some drabbles and smaller stories I have over on Tumblr in here. I didn't post them earlier because I didn't want to name them. That's the only reason. XD _

_Thanks again!_


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